Old Habits Die Hard
by adagio11
Summary: [EPILOGUE UP! NOW COMPLETE!] When the central heating in Kate’s building goes out, she actually agrees to stay at Tony’s place for a while and we can all imagine how that will go...[TATE] R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Old Habits Die Hard**

**Summary: **When the central heating in Kate's building goes out, she's forced to stay at Tony's place for a while and we can all imagine how that will end

**Pairing: **Well, guess….duh

**Genre: **Romance/ Humor

**Disclaimer: **Not mine

**Author's Note: **Finally, my WB is gone!! Anyway, this idea might be kind of a cliché but I don't know…The story is titled after a JAG quote from the series finale. **Please review :D**

**

* * *

Chapter 1**

It was Monday morning and Tony DiNozzo was for once not late for work, which was a very rare occurrence. But what was even more strange was the fact that Kate seemed to be late instead. Twenty minutes later than usual, the elevator dinged and revealed a very pissed off Kate Todd, balancing her backpack, a big blue duffel bag, her purse and a cup of coffee. Tony patiently waited for her to enter the bullpen before firing off his first comment for the day.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed" he said, careful not to look up, knowing that he would receive a death glare if he did. Kate dumped all her stuff except her coffee, on the floor with a loud thud´. Then she walked to stand across from Tony.

"The central heating in my building decided to play us all a little trick. Now. In the middle of January! It was fifty degrees when I left" she took a sip from her coffee cup to emphasize her words.

"So, where are you staying?" Tony asked, now not having to ask what was in the bag.

"Abby's, I think. According to my landlord, it'll only take a few days to repair it" she immediately sounded a bit calmer. "So, I'm off to Abby's. Be back in a few" she said and then left. Since Gibbs was a no show, Tony took the liberty to start up his computer game that should have been gone years ago unless he wanted Gibbs to pierce both of his ears. "_Well, what Gibbs actually doesn't know, can't hurt him" _Tony thought as the countdown began on the screen.

---

Kate came back a few minutes later, now looking very pissed again. Tony didn't have time to ask before she spoke.

"McGee is apparently "unofficially" living there"

"You don't say…" Tony said, eyes on the computer screen. "Take Probie's apartment then"

"First of all, his sister lives there and second of all, I would never stay at McGee's place"

"Gibbs then?" Tony suggested.

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Always, Kate"

Kate rolled her eyes and sat down by her desk. _"To get a roof of my head for the night would have to be a later issue"_, she thought as Gibbs arrived and dumped a stack of files on her desk. As she began typing, an IM popped up. From Tony – who else?

---

_**TonyD: **__Hey Katie, why don't you stay at my place?_

_**KateT: **__Well, where are you staying then?_

_**TonyD: **__Very funny. But seriously, Kate_

_**KateT: **__Good try, DiNozzo. But NO!_

_**TonyD: **__If you say so. But the offer still stands, just FYI_

---

Kate shook her head and closed the conversation and opened her word processing program instead. If working with Tony could be hell on Earth sometimes, how would she survive living in the same apartment as him?! _No way, _she thought as she pulled out the next file from her stack. Around noon Gibbs received a call and soon they were all stuffed into the NCIS truck, on their way to Norfolk. Kate shuddered where she sat between Tony and Gibbs.

"Gibbs, can you please turn up the heat? I'm freezing my ass off" she asked, but Gibbs didn't move. She groaned. Why did it have to be so damn cold? Knowing that her apartment probably held the same temperature didn't make her feel better. She wrapped her coat and scarf tighter around herself as Gibbs exited the freeway. As they arrived at the crime scene both she and Tony groaned. They were practically in the middle of nowhere, nothing but tree surrounding them and snow up to their knees.

"This should really earn us double pay" Tony commented as they left the truck which by now where warm enough. They walked around the back to retrieve the gear and McGee. It was almost 3.30 and the sun was already going down. The team worked as quickly as possible and moved around to keep themselves warm. The only one who didn't seem cold was Gibbs. Big shocker…Around five they were finally finished and the body was already on its way back to DC.

"That's it, let's go" Gibbs finally said and his three agents gratefully walked back to the truck, that now felt more like an ice cream truck. But now, as they drove back out on the freeway, Gibbs turned up the heat. Kate smiled to herself and leaned back, relishing the warmth.

---

When they finally arrived back at HQ, the clock had already struck seven pm. Gibbs and McGee delivered the evidence to Abby, while Kate and Tony were given the permission to go home.

"So, where are you staying, Kate?" Tony asked teasingly, knowing that there was no way that she could have fixed something during the day. Kate just glared. She was cold, tired and pissed and she just didn't feel good. Tony's teasing was the least thing she needed right now.

"Shut up"

"Whoo! Sorry there"

Kate just shook her head and turned back to packing her things. She would just have to stay at a hotel or something. But in the back of her head, Tony's offer was still repeating itself. She tried to push it away but come on. At least it was free and really, how bad could it be?

"Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"That offer you made…does it still…I mean…" she began nervously. _I so can't believe I'm doing this. Abby will tease me to death about it…_

"No problems, Katie" he smiled and grabbed his backpack. "Come on" he added when he passed her desk and left for the elevator. Kate quickly gathered her own things and followed him. In the elevator, the same thought struck them both; this was going to be _very _interesting.

* * *

_**First chapter finished. WB is definitely gone. You wanna read more or does it already seem boring:P Please please review and tell me what you think. And if and how I should continue this story :) For you who think that some stuff is familiar; the computer game Tony should remove if he didn't want his ears pierced by Gibbs, was featured in the episode Missing and the line "hell on Earth" is taken from the episode Conspiracy theory, when Tony is blackmailing Kate with the wet t-shirt photo. Gotta love that ep.**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As Kate stepped into Tony's apartment, one thought immediately came into mind: Wow´. Apparently her surprise showed on her face, cause she soon heard Tony's voice call from the kitchen. "Impressed, Kate?"

"Well…I…-" she began as she walked through his living room. Tony'd gone with a modern but still homey design and it was better kept than she'd ever thought. She spotted a huge plasma screen on the wall and smiled to herself.

"You hungry?" Kate quickly spun around, startled by his presence.

"Um, no thanks. Just tired"

"Come on, I'll show you the guest room" Tony said softly and walked down the hall. Kate followed, not being able to ignore the fact that Tony'd changed a bit the moment they stepped through the door. She followed Tony down the hall and through a door to the left. It wasn't big but more than enough to be a guest room.

"I'll get you some pillows" Tony mumbled and left. Kate stepped into the room and placed her duffel bag on the floor. It felt odd to be here, in Tony's apartment, in one of his bedrooms, preparing to spend the night. Tony soon returned with a few pillows and a duvet in his arms. He dumped them on the bed and turned to Kate.

"Bathroom is across the hall, take whatever you want in the fridge except by Canadian beer and well…behave" he said teasingly and then left her alone.

_Well, this was an unusual situation_´ Kate thought as she made up the bed. She heard Tony move around in the kitchen and was struck by the fact that she, if only for a couple of days, would be living together with Tony. It was strange, just not to be alone. When the bed was made, Kate changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. She let her hair down and crept out to the kitchen. She lingered in the doorway, watching Tony move around and prepare some sort of sandwich.

"How domestic" she teased. Tony just grinned and offered her a box of cherry tomatoes, which she accepted. They ate in silence, an odd kind of silence hovering over them. It was a new situation for them both, spending time outside of work. Living together, even as friends, were something pretty intimate, especially now when it wasn't work related.

"Well, I'm going to bed" Kate said and put down the empty plastic box on the counter. "Goodnight, then" Tony said. Kate smiled tiredly and walked out of the kitchen.

---

Far away, Kate heard a low tapping. Deciding to ignore it, she turned around under the covers. But as the tapping continued, now with a low Kaaaaaate´ accompanying the annoying sound, Kate forced her eyes open.

"What do you want?" Upon hearing Kate's agitated voice, Tony dared to open the door.

"Morning" he said cheerfully. To cheerful for Kate's taste at this hour.

"What time is it?" Kate demanded grumpily.

"Around seven. You should get up" he said and sat on the edge of the bed. Groaning, Kate sat up and rubbed her eyes.  
"You're worse than my alarm clock!"

"Good to know. Come on, breakfast is served" he gently twirled a lock of her hair between his fingers before he stood. The slightly affectionate gesture startled Kate, before she decided to get up after all. She's slept like a baby through the whole night, which made waking up worse then usual. Still sleepy, Kate made her way to towards the kitchen. In the doorway, she froze. On the table stood two plates with home made waffles and a strawberry on top. Tony was just about to add some whipped cream when he spotted her standing there.

"Surprised I could cook?"

"Well, yes. I always pegged you for the take out type" she teased as she walked past him and sat down on a chair.

"This actually looks really good, DiNozzo"

"Well, thank you" he said and sat down across from her.

"God, Tony. This is so good" Kate said after taking a bite.

"Never thought I'd hear you say that"

"Pervert" Kate said, but she smiled as she saw Tony simply shaking his head. While they finished, they talked about the case and what Gibbs would make them do today. Kate remarked that as long she was in a warm, snow free place, she would do pretty much anything.

"What do you think Gibbs'll say? About you staying here I mean" Tony asked as they bundled up to face the cold weather.

"For our own good, I think we should stay quiet" Kate suggested.

"We probably should. Which kind of spoils my next idea"

"Which is?"

"Take one car to the headquarters"

Kate eyed him for a moment and then put her car keys back in her pocket.

"You'll drive. If we crash, it's your fault. If we're late, I'll blame you, deal?"

"Deal" And with that they were out the door.

As they drove, Kate couldn't help but think how similar their morning routines were. Everything from in which order they prepared themselves for the day to smaller things like how they both checked the news or picked up coffee on the way to the Navy Yard. Luckily for them, they neither crashed nor arrived late. They took the chance to come in together and fortunately, Gibbs didn't seem to care.

"Something came up on the stuff we found at the scene?" Kate asked.

"Nope, but Ducky's got an ID. Kate, pull out the records on a petty officer Caleb McKenzie" And without any further information, Gibbs left the bullpen. Sighing, Kate booted up her computer to bring out the records. Although, she'd had a hot cup of coffee on the way to work, she was still freezing like hell.

"I swear, we're on the verge to a new ice age" she whined as she typed in the name Gibbs had given her. She pressed a few buttons and soon the info was shown on the plasma between Tony's and McGee's desks.

"By the way, you think Probie's late?" Tony asked as he came to stand beside Katei n front of the plasma.

"His stuff is here, so he's probably down with Abby" Kate reasoned and gestured towards McGee's backpack, neatly place by the file cabinet behind his desk. The pair studied the petty officer's file until Gibbs came back, now with McGee in tow.

"Found anything?"

"No. He's spotless, Gibbs. Not even a speeding ticket. He was never married, no kids and next of kin is a sister, living in New Jersey. Name is Rachel" Kate informed him. This wasn't really much to go on. "So what do we do now?"

"We're going to talk to his CO, then contact his sister in some way. I have no intentions of driving all the way to New Jersey" he said grumpily. "Come on, let's go" Gibbs grabbed his coat and then went for the elevator.

---

"I don't have a good feeling about this" Kate said warily as Gibbs drove off the freeway and into a much smaller road, away from the city and its nicely ploughed roads. "I definitely don't have a good feeling about this" Kate said as Gibbs drove into a much smaller road, barely squeezing in between two trees.

"Gibbs, where the hell are we?" She snapped. Gibbs hid the smile by turning his face down so she wouldn't see his face in the rear view mirror.

"His CO, Lieutenant Gordon, is out on the field"  
"And you couldn't have waited until he came back to some place…maybe without snow?!" Kate almost yelled. Both Tony and McGee looked amused as the usually straight-laced agent become upset over the cold. Apparently Gibbs thought the same as he with a triumphant grin parked the car just beside a huge snowdrift.

"You gotta be kidding me" Kate deadpanned as she pushed the door open and angrily trudged through the snow. Now Tony couldn't help but laugh. Kate gave him a death glare and he immediately stopped. Gibbs seemed to actually enjoy the snow and the call weather as they went to find the lieutenant. As he suddenly began walking into the woods, sick sacking between trees and smaller snowdrifts, Kate stopped dead in her tracks and turned to Tony, who walked right behind her.

"I must have done something extremely bad in my previous life" she said and reluctantly began walking. Lucky for her, since she didn't hear Tony's chuckle behind her.

---

After almost an hour with snow up to her knees, Kate finally found herself back at the office.

"If I see another snowdrift I will pass out" she deadpanned and tossed her backpack behind her desk, then began walking away.

"Hey, where are you going?" Tony asked before Gibbs did.

"Changing" Kate said exasperated and gestured towards her soaking wet pants. Then she walked for the elevator, apparently to go down the gym. She grimaced as she peeled off her wet slacks and slipped into a pair of sweatpants. It was only a few hours left of the day so she wouldn't die if she wore sweat pants for a few hours. She took off her shoes and replaced them by a pair of sneaker. _Much better, and much more comfy. _With a content grin she closed the locker, only to be met by Tony's grinning face.

"You followed me?"

"Needed to change too"

Kate looked down for a moment and realised that he too, wore navy blue sweatpants. "Whatever" she said and closed her locker.

"Gibbs told us to check with Abby if something else came up" Nodding, Kate followed him out of the gym, once again wishing that she could just go home. Or well…at least somewhere without snow and Gibbs.

When they arrived at the lab, Abby was nowhere to be seen. Pretty unusual since she spend almost all her time with the microscope, maspectrometer and the plasma, mostly for Gibbs' sake of course. They walked through the automatic doors, expecting to see Abby by her computer but the chair was empty.

"Think she's abducted by aliens?" Tony asked. Kate rolled her eyes and began scanning the area.

"In there" she nodded and Tony soon spotted Abby, wearing protection glasses and apparently testing something in the ballistics lab.

"You staying at my place again?" Tony asked after a moment of silence. Kate shrugged.

"I guess I am…if it's okay?"

"No problems" Tony grinned. "But it's your turn to make breakfast tomorrow"

"No way! I'm the guest"

"You're the lodger, big difference" Tony pointed out for her with got him another glare.

"You're so silly"

By now Abby was finished and heard her friend bickering on the other side of the window. _As always. _As she opened her door, she caught Kate's last sentence.

"Remind me to get my slacks before we go home" Abby froze. _What the…"we go home". What did that come from?_

Now Tony and Kate turned, spotting Abby but not looking guilty at all. "Something you wanna tell me?" Abby eyed them warily. They exchanged a confused glance. "No"

"Immediate denial. You're lying" Abby said and walked to her computer. "Okay, tell me, what's going on between you two?"

"What are you talking about?" Kate asked.

"Are you sleeping together?"

"WHAT?!"

"Kate said before we go home´. You live together"

Now exchanging another glance and then putting on their knowing smirks, Kate turned to Abby.

"Yes"

"So you _are _sleeping together? Oh my God, this is so huge. I always knew it, but when it finally happens geez!" she rambled, eyes glowing.

"The central heating in my building broke" Kate then revealed.

"And?"

"I'm moving back to my own place already this week and no we're not sleeping together and never will!"

"Who says that?" Tony then butted in, upon hearing the last part. Another glare from Kate. Abby on the other hand just looked disappointed but also skeptical.

"Whatever you say"

"What is that supposed to mean"

"Nothing, nothing. Did you two come here to let me think you're sleeping together or did Gibbs send you?"

"The latter" Tony said. "Got anything useful?"

"Nope, nothing. Sorry, guys"

Kate looked like she was going to die. "Something wrong, Kate?" Tony wondered teasingly.

"This probably means more diving through the snow. Damn it, I hate snow. Christmas is over! Why can't it just disappear!!" she whined and left the lab. Abby turned to look at Tony.

"She hates snow" she stated.

"Oh, you should have seen her today, snapped at Gibbs. Well, I better go and find her before she does something stupid. See ya later" Tony said and quickly went to find Kate.

"Well, that was…rewarding" Abby said as she turned back to her microscope, a big smile plastered on her face.

_**Looooong second chapter. Probably my longest so far :D Well, I hoped you had energy to read it and have a bit energy left to review:D Thanks!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The drive back to Tony's place was silent. They were both tired and Kate was freezing again, despite the fact that Tony had turned on the heat the moment they left HQ. They didn't exchange another word as they climbed the stairs up to his apartment. Inside, Tony was the first one to speak.

"You go and take a shower" he said gently. "I'll fix something hot to drink" he disappeared out to the kitchen; Kate's watching his back. There it was again, the change that happened the moment Tony DiNozzo arrived home. Was this how the _real _Tony was like? His sincere side that she'd only seen a few times before. He didn't bother to cover it up for her either. She liked it. It suited his usually playful personality. Kate quickly went to her room to fetch her things and took a hot shower. It felt like she'd spent the whole day out in the snow.

When she was finished and dressed, she joined Tony on the couch. An old episode of AFV was showing on the TV on low volume. She sat down beside him, gratefully accepting the tea he offered.

"I've always loved AFV" Tony said with a tired smile.

"I hate the host, he's so silly. He thinks he's funny but he's just making a fool out of himself" Kate said with a shrug.

"Katie, come on. It's harmless, boring humour. Enjoy it!" he teased which made Kate smile, but she was too tired to come up with something to fire back.

They watched the rest of the episode in silence, Tony letting out a small chuckle now and then. When the credits rolled, Tony pressed the power button on the remote and the screen went black.

"It's late. I'm going to bed" he stood, holding out his hand to take her empty mug too.

"Thanks" she mumbled and also stood. Out in the kitchen she just stood and watched Tony move around, putting plates in the sink along with their tea mugs. It was very strange to see Tony DiNozzo in the kitchen, let alone at eleven pm.

"Oh, by the way…" he walked over to a drawer and began to dig around. "Here" he held out his hand and Kate slowly accepted the object. It was a key.

"If we don't get to leave the office at the same time…" he mumbled as an explanation.

"Um…thanks" Kate still looked at the key, a bit surprised. Tony just gave her a key to his apartment. That was a very intimate gesture.

Now Tony yawned and shut off the lights.  
"I'm going to bed. Sleep tight" he said with a small smile and without really thinking, placed a light hand on her shoulder and then kissed her cheek. "G'night" _Well….okay. _Kate thought. If playing with her hair as he'd done this morning was a very affectionate and intimate gesture for being them, what was a goodnight kiss then? Kate smiled though, she had to admit that she liked Tony's playful and light mood, but the way he was at home was much better. It was…sweet. She slowly twirled the key in her hands, looking down at it. Still smiling slightly, Kate turned off the last lights to go to bed as well.

---

When Kate woke up the next morning, she caught herself realising that once again she'd slept through the whole night without waking up once. It was rare, for her to really relax like that. All the training she'd gone through had taught her to always have her guard up. Glancing at the digital clock on her cell phone, Kate sighed as she saw it was time to get up. She opened the door and stepped out in the hall. Tony's bedroom door was still closed and she assumed that she was asleep. Shrugging, she went out to the kitchen to prepare breakfast even if she remembered how she'd refused to do it, yesterday. She opened the fridge and checked the contents. Bagels would do for today. A while later, she stood by the counter, slicing up tomatoes when she felt a pair of hands on her hips. She shrieked

"Tony!"

"What?"

"You scared me and this is definitely invasion of my personal space. Back off" He didn't move. "You do realise that I have a knife, don't you?" Now her comment made him let go of her and take a few steps back.

"Oh, come on. I have to take advantage of the situation. That's what I do best; you've said it yourself. Although I see it as strategic thinking"

"Whatever!" Kate rolled her eyes and turned back to the tomatoes. "Hold on, what situation?" she turned around, knife in hand.

"Having a housewife" Kate just glared and with the sharp knife in a firm grip, she looked pretty menacing. Tony stared back at her, amused look on his face and a smirk playing in the corner of his lips.

"You do know that this is supposed to be the part when you'll drop the knife and we'll have wild, unrestrained sex on the counter?" he couldn't help it. He knew how much sex-jokes at inappropriate times, pissed Kate off. She waved the knife at him. "You pervert!"

"Yep, that's me" he grinned teasingly. Kate once again rolled her eyes and turned back to the counter, back to him, which was good so Tony wouldn't see the small smile and the faint blush on her cheeks. Very vivid images had suddenly come into her mind as Tony fired his last comment. _What the hell is wrong with me?! _A few minutes later they sat by the table, silently eating their breakfast.

"You clean up the table" Kate demanded as she stood.

"Hey, there. This is my apartment. You know as in I pay the rent and I call the decisions here"

Kate gave him the famous "duh"-look and dumped her coffee cup and plate in the sink. "I'm taking a shower" she announced and left Tony to clean up.

---

Today, they only took Tony's car but didn't dare to show up at the same time. If Gibbs noticed a long series of uncomfortable questions would follow and neither Kate nor Tony wanted to risk that. So, to be on the safe side, Kate left the car first and Tony waited for another ten minutes. Showing up separately was probably a good idea since Gibbs was by his desk, looking extremely grumpy. And when Gibbs was grumpy, he noticed things.

"Petty officer McKenzie's sister will be here later this afternoon"

"All the way from New Jersey?" Kate asked. Gibbs ignored her question. She understood he was pissed. Days had passed and they had _nothing _on the case.

"Since we got nothing from the evidence, we'll wait and see what she has to say. I'm going for coffee" he said and left. Reluctantly, Kate, Tony and McGee turned towards the stack of paperwork that had gathered on their desks.

"This is probably second worse after the snow, at the moment" Kate deadpanned and opened her first file. Being a federal agent was great, but sometimes the paperwork made you doubt if you'd really made the right choice of career.

"This is hell" McGee said. Kate and Tony looked at him, surprised. Probie was always pretty enthusiastic and rarely complained. After several hours of writing reports, Kate decided it was time for a break. And as if on cue, Abby appeared around the corner.

"Hi, guys"

"Hey, Abbs" Tony said, relieved that he now had a reason for taking another pause. Gibbs had come and gone all day and at the moment he was absent. Which made it perfect for a break.

"Still nothing on the case?" Abby asked as she slumped down in Gibbs chair without hesitation.

"Nope" Kate replied. "But at least no snow"

"Kate, why do you hate snow?"

"I don't hate snow. It's just that…it's okay for Christmas and all but then I see no purpose of it. It's cold, it causes accidents and it's just depressing" Kate reasoned. Abby looked skeptic.

"So you've never had a snowball fight?"

"Well, not in the last ten years"

"You're kidding?" Abby's eyes went wide in shock. "I always have snowball fights"

"With?" Kate asked.

"Well…the kid next door, my nephew when he swings by…"

Kate just shook her head. The mere thought of being dragged down into the snow and have the extremely cold flakes shoved into her face, made her freeze.

"I'm more of a summer person" she said.

"I think it's kinda nice with four different seasons" McGee butted in. "Imagine in California, they have no snow and I mean…I think nobody on the East coast wants to celebrate Christmas without snow"

"It would be paradise" Kate said. Tony grinned. "Loosen up a bit, Kate. We should have snowball fight tonight"

"NO WAY!"

"Can I come?" Abby asked excited. Kate glared. "We're not having a snowball fight, DiNozzo. If we do, you'll be the one to handle all my wet clothes and then when I get a cold, I'll pass it on to you"

McGee now looked confused. _Why would Tony clean up after Kate? _Sensing his confusion, Abby turned to him and explained.

"They live together"

"What?"

"Yep"

"It's not like that, McGee" Kate was quick to protest. "The heating in my building broke and since you occupies Abby's place I had to stay with Tony"

"I'm not that impossible" Tony protested. "I made you breakfast yesterday"

"One breakfast doesn't make up for all the annoying things you say and do"

Abby just watched them bicker back and forth. It was better than reality TV. It almost _was _like reality TV. She could imagine them in Tony's apartment, fighting and tossing their amusing comments at each other. What she would give to be a fly on the wall. Suddenly Kate's cell rang and she was given a reason to stop fighting with Tony.

"Todd" she answered. "Oh hi. No, it's okay. When? I see. I guess I have no choice" she let out a small laugh. "Good. Thanks" Then she hung up.

"Care to share?" Tony asked.

"It was my landlord" she said harshly.

"I take it was it was bad news…" Abby said.

"You could say that…It will take longer than expected to fix the damn heating!" Kate said angrily.

"Then you'll stay a few more days with me. Great" Tony grinned mischievously. Another glare from Kate. "Aw, Kate it's not that bad, and now we have time for a snowball fight!"

"If you toss a snowball at me, I'll shoot you!" She said, still glaring at him.

"You shouldn't glare so much, Katie. You might get stuck like that"

"Tony! Please. I haven't been at home for two days, I haven't slept in my own bed for days and half of my stuff is probably ice blocks so shut up!" Abby and McGee sensed that it was time to leave them alone. This was a serious fight. Without sparkling eyes and smirks threatening to show. Kate was really pissed now. As they disappeared around the corner, Tony tried another tactic.

"Kate, calm down, okay" she slouched down in her chair again, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry, Tony. It's not your fault and I know you do more than enough by letting me stay but I just…" she sighed. "I'm sorry" She looked up and smiled and when she met his eyes she saw that he'd forgiven her.

From around the corner, Abby and McGee heard Kate's sudden apology and they both raised their eyebrows. Kate rarely apologised to Tony. Something was going on here. Back in the bullpen, Tony had sauntered over to Kate's desk.

"How long did he say it would take?"

"At least three days. Is it really okay that I stay at your place? I mean, it's three more days"

"And I get to have a housewife for three more days. Fabulous" Tony joked to lighten the mood. To his relief it worked and Kate showed off a small smile.

"Thanks, Tony"

"No problems. You think Abby and McGee were scared by your yelling?"

"Very funny. They showed respect. It was a…private conversation. You should learn from them" she retorted. Tony just gave her a sarcastic smile.

---

What Kate and Tony didn't know, was that Gibbs stood by the railing outside MTAC and watched and heard parts of their argument. Without a word, director Sheppard stood beside him and also watched the agents.

"They live together" Gibbs said after a moment of silence.

"What?"

"Kate's heating broke, she's staying at Tony's" Jen just eyed him, and then they both watched the agents' affectionate banter for a while.

"They can make their own decisions, Jethro" She could sense his worry. She knew about his rules.

"That's what I'm afraid of"

"You can't deny that there is good chemistry between them. It's good. It makes them good agents"

"It's just that…"

"They're not us" Jen said in a low voice.

"Jen! It makes agents make stupid decisions on the field"

"When I said that they can make their own decisions, I also meant that they will make the right one if they have to. They're good agents, Jethro"

"Relationships between agents can jeopardize the safety for our team"

"Don't doubt their judgement. Agent Todd was on the president's protection detail. She if anyone can make the right decisions. And DiNozzo is not a bad agent either"

"But still, they shouldn't. I have the rule for a reason, Jen"

"For their sake or yours?"

Gibbs turned and gave her a duh look. "They do make a good looking couple though" she said with a half smile before walking back to her office. Gibbs watched her back disappear and then turned his attention back to Kate and Tony, who was currently involved in a conversation. Jen was right. There was chemistry between them and as long as they didn't go to far, it made them really good partners out on the field. They could read each other and predict each other's actions. But if they crossed the line towards more than partners and friends, threatening situations could end badly. Still, he couldn't forget Jen's words. "_They make a good looking couple" _And they really did…

_**Another long chapter I hope. First time I wrote the director's character. Was it too OOC? Well, I hope this chappie was long enough for you until the next update. Had a slight WB earlier but luckily it disappeared. Dedicated to Jos for encouraging me to fight the damn WB:D Please review!!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**It was about time for an AN before you read. This is another pretty long chapter. I hope you like. I also want to thank for all your awesome reviews. It's your reviews that keeps me motivated to write moooore :D So here it is, the fourth chapter**_

**Chapter 4**

Around three pm that afternoon, a small nervous looking brunette showed up. Rachel, petty officer McKenzie's sister. Gibbs shook her hand politely and then led the way down to interrogation. Kate, Tony and McGee followed and took their places inside observation. Kate felt for the young woman. She couldn't be older than twenty. She looked very uncomfortable, hands shaking and she barely looked up at Gibbs when she answered his questions.

"I hope she can give us something to go on" Kate said, more to herself than anyone else. The interrogation went smoothly and was over within ten minutes. Gibbs told McGee to show her out while he, Kate and Tony went over the information in the Squad Room.

"Anything, boss?" Tony asked as they took seat by their desks. Gibbs sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Not really. She hasn't talked to him in three weeks, she's been visiting a friend in France. And according to her, her brother was pretty shy, spent a lot of time at home and didn't have any enemies"

"Could it have been, a robbery gone wrong or something?" Kate said.

"No, he had his wallet, cell phone, watch, everything" Gibbs said. "And there were no unknown fingerprints on the items"

"Everything seems like a dead end" Tony sighed. Only once, he'd experienced one of Gibbs' cases go cold. Gibbs checked his watch.

"There nothing else we can do today. Go home" Knowing that you shouldn't seem to surprised when Gibbs let them go early, Kate and Tony quickly grabbed their stuff and left.

---

"It's your time to fix dinner" Tony said as they sat in the car.  
"I made breakfast!"

"We haven't had real dinner for two days and since I made tea last night, you'll make dinner!"

"I can't cook" Kate tried.

"You're lying" Tony said.

Silence. They both stayed quiet for the following five minutes before Kate spoke. "Let's order take out"

"Good idea" Tony said and their eyes met for a moment before they both began to laugh.

And roughly thirty minutes later they were seated by Tony's kitchen table with a pizza box between them.

"This is pretty fun" Tony suddenly said.

"What do you mean?"

"You know…doing something and not working" as fast as he'd said it, a faint blush spread over his face. Kate smiled to herself, knowing what Tony meant. He liked spending time with her.

"Yeah, I guess you're right" she said softly. And she meant it; it was quite nice, not being alone at night, having breakfast with someone. Seeing the other side of Tony…

"You think Gibbs'll give up on this case?" Tony then asked, sensing it was time to change subject.

"It has only happened once and he goes through the case every month so probably, no. He won't give up"

Kate smiled. "Gibbs needs to learn how to let go"

"Definitely" Tony agreed and picked off a slice of salami from his pizza.

"You don't eat salami?" Kate said surprised. "I thought you ate everything" she said and nonchalantly picked up the salami slice Tony just dumped back in the box.

"Kate, I'm only human"

"Whatever you say"

Soon the food was gone and since it was only seven pm, they had to do something.

"Snowball fight?" Tony suggested.

"Over my dead body"

"Okay, no snow. How about a movie?" Kate shrugged. "Why not?"

---

"Are you seriously asking me to choose one of these?" Kate exclaimed as she stood before his tall bookcase, filled with DVD:s.

"I have more than that"

"You do you even buy them all? You don't have time to watch it again before you buy a new one. Rent them!"

Tony chuckled. "Girls buy make up, clothes and purses. Guys buy movies. So, wanna check out the other ones?"

"Sure" Kate said with a half smile. Tony began to walk down the hall and into his bedroom. Kate unconsciously slowed down. Tony's bedroom. _So this is where it all happens, the location of all his stories. _She mused. His bed wasn't made and Kate was pretty sure it never was.

"I have a few more here" he revealed another bookcase and a plastic box.

"I can't decide!"

"Then, may I come with a suggestion?"

"Please do"

"The time machine"

"What?"

"New movie my cousin sent it to me last week. I haven't seen it yet"

"Okay"

"Wanna watch in here?"

"What? Here?"

Smirking, Tony walked over to an antique looking cupboard and opened the doors. It looked exactly like the entertainment system in the living room, only smaller.

"You've got to be kidding me"

"Nope. So, wanna watch?"

"This seems like a chick flick meeting science fiction. I thought you were the action type…" Kate said after reading the back of the cover.

"Do I have to mention that my cousin's name is Aurora, she is 15 years old, a sucker for romantic chick flicks and she's planned her wedding since she was three and learned what marriage was?" Tony said with a grin.

"You suggested it because I'm a girl" Kate deadpanned.

"Pretty much, yeah"

"Chauvinist. How do you know I don't hate chick flicks?"

He eyed her skeptically. "Favourite movie?" Kate gave an awkward kind of smile.

"Titanic" she then admitted.

"I knew it! So, let's watch" Smiling, Kate handed him the DVD and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Aw, don't be silly, Katie" Tony said and crawled across his bed and leaned down against the pillows.

"Kaaate…" he smirked and patted the vacant spot beside him. Kate eyed him. Even if it seemed to be playful and innocent, Kate knew better. Cuddle up with Tony, on his bed…The whole idea screamed wrong. But nonetheless, Kate soon found herself under the covers, pressed up to Tony's side. They didn't speak a word for a good while until Kate broke the silence.

"That's true love"

"What is?"

"The guy builds a time machine to save his girlfriend from dying"

"Very chick flick-ish" Tony laughed and casually hugged her against him. They watched the rest in silence, Kate secured snugly to his side.

"Well, how was it?" Tony said and turned off the TV. When he didn't get a response, he turned his head and immediately smiled. Kate was asleep, one hand lightly resting on his chest. If he let her sleep, she would probably kill him, if he woke her up, she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep and feel like hell tomorrow and kill him anyway. Giving it a final thought, Tony carefully made himself comfortable with Kate on his arm.

"G'night, Katie" he murmured and gently kissed her hair before drifting off to sleep.

---

The moment Kate opened her eyes, she knew something wasn't right. She'd had the same feeling the morning the heating system died. But then she'd been like an ice cube. Now, the temperature was significantly higher. As she turned to her right, her eyes widened in shock. Tony was sleeping soundly, his body mere millimetres from hers. _Not good. _Obviously confused, Kate checked that she was still fully dressed. She was. Good, at least one step closer to the accidental "falling asleep to a movie with no intentions to do anything else"- conclusion. But the position they were in bothered her. She had his arm under her head, his sleep face turned to her and a leg loosely draped over her own. If it wasn't for the fact that they were fully dressed, they looked like lovers. The thought made Kate sit right up. Her sudden move awoke Tony who barely seemed to comprehend it all. But soon he spotted a pyjama clad Kate and his eyes widened, much as Kate's had done. Now he remembered. The movie, Kate falling asleep, not waking her up.

"Kate…"

"No, it's okay, I'll just go and um…take a shower" Quickly she pushed the covers aside and slipped out of bed.

Safely locked into his bathroom, Kate began to pace the small area. What the hell had just happened? Okay, nothing _really _happened but something had changed between them. They'd just spent the night together, curled up in each other's arms. Suddenly Kate felt her stomach flutter. _What the…_Then a small smile spread on her face. She'd never slept this good before. It had been warm, soft and she had to admit that their bodies fit together. Remembering that she should probably shower, Kate turned on the water and pulled her shirt over her head. She froze. Her shirt smelled like Tony, and as she sniffer her hair she realised that she was surrounded by his smell. The thought made her blush even more furiously as she shed the last piece of clothing and stepped in under the hot water. _This keeps getting ever more weird with each day. _

---

The rest of the morning was more than awkward. They had breakfast standing, avoiding eye contact at all times. As soon as Kate finished she put away her mug and quickly disappeared to make herself ready to go. Tony didn't try and talk to her, he seemed busy on his own, trying to figure what the hell had changed last night and what he should say to break the ice. If having breakfast in awkward silence, the ride to HQ was a hundred times words. The radio played in the background and Kate kept her eyes focused on the trees flying by. _This is so not good…._She always hated tension. Even if it was at a family party, at work or just an awkward silence, she immediately became uncomfortable. _Gibbs will notice, _was her current thought. He would notice and confront them. That was not good. He would make assumptions and when Leroy Jethro Gibbs had made his mind, no one could change it.

---

But lucky for them, Gibbs wasn't by his desk when they arrived, once again taking the chance to come in together. Maybe the chance was smaller for him to notice, if they both were already working. Apparently sharing the same kind of thinking, both Kate and Tony sat down to continue working on the case and maybe finish up som old paperwork. When Gibbs stalked in both agents involuntarily tensed but didn't say a thing. Gibbs noticed of course, but remembered what Jen said about them making their own decisions so he left them alone. As long as it didn't affect their work on the field…But the awkward mood in the bullpen wasn't something Gibbs would like to experience every day…

---

Jen stood outside MTAC and looked down at Gibbs' team. The youngest, McGee just came in, nervously apologising for being late and said something about his sister being in trouble with a boyfriend. At that Gibbs smiled to himself. Jen smiled as well, even if Gibbs mostly seemed bothered by his agents messing around and bickering, she knew he found it amusing. Sexual tension between partners was fun. She'd experienced it herself. A few years before she met Gibbs, she'd worked with another guy and there had been an attraction between them but they'd only worked together for a few months so nothing evolved out of their friendship. From what she knew now, he'd retired and lived with his wife and teenage kids. Wow, time really flied…

Jen kept her focus on Kate and Tony, silently working. They'd worked together for almost three years and still nothing seemed to have happened between them. The attraction had been there from the beginning, she could tell from their actions but also from what Gibbs had told her. Their trips to Colombia, Cuba and Paraguay just to mention a few of the histories Gibbs had shared. People never thought that about him, but Gibbs liked to share. To pass on advice, very much as Ducky did. Gibbs really had a lot to tell and teach. And from what Jen could see, there was a lot of Gibbs thinking in his agents. Tony would become a great leader of his own team some day, maybe not for the next two years but then, who knew. And Kate, well, she'd done pretty much already. What could top protection the president of the United States? McGee had potentional. He had his brilliant computer skills and was developing an own strategy and way of working out on the field. Gibbs really had the best team.

And as director but also a good reader of body language and her own history, Jen knew that if Tony's and Kate's relationship would become more than friendship, it wouldn't change that much. What Gibbs was afraid of was that someone would get hurt and their tight team would fall apart. It wasn't surprising. He'd lost his family and loosing his team would be like another failure to protect them. It was like reading an open book. And now Jen saw that something had happened between Kate and Tony that made them extremely uncomfortable but not ever she could figure out what.

---

Around lunch, Kate snuck away to talk to Abby. She needed to vent and Abby was the perfect one to talk to. She knew them both and maybe had a few advices to give her. Pressing the button to the right floor, Kate closed her eyes and sighed for a moment. This was what she was afraid would happen if she and Tony took it to the next level. Not that they'd _really _done it but they'd crossed one of the lines that had been there for a good while. And now, not knowing what to do, she turned to her all-knowing best friend. The doors swooshed open and Kate stepped in, only to have Abby's voice firing a question at her:

"You slept with Tony, didn't you?" Kate rolled her eyes, maybe talking to Abby wasn't _the best _idea…

_**Another appearance of the director. Was it OOC this time? Was the description of Gibbs OOC? Please review, I need reviews!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**_Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'll try and maybe imply some slight, slight Jibbs, we'll see, but I kinda like writing the director's character since I've never done that before. So, we'll where this story goes and I hope you're in for the ride. Now please read, enjoy and then of course, review!_**

**Chapter 5**

"Abby, for the hundredth time, _nothing _happened" Kate once again tried to explain to Abby who refused to believe that Kate's and Tony's relationship had remained a platonic one.

"But if that's the case, why are you here?"

"Well…" Kate sighed. _This really sucks! _"I believe there's nothing in between platonic and romantic…"

"Nope" Abby answered immediately. "So, wanna tell me what happened?"

"I just did!"

"And you think I would buy that? Come one, something more happened than just a chick flick and then falling asleep"

"No! That's the thing, nothing happened but it feels like it did"

"Were you dressed when you woke up?"

"Abby!"

"What?"

"Of course I was! Now tell me what to do"  
"Wow I'm flattered, Kate. That you have such faith in me" Abby smiled from ear to ear.

Kate just rolled her eyes and leaned back in the chair, waiting for an advice somewhat concealed in one of Abby's rantings about hers and Tony's relationship. Since when did a federal job involve long hours conversations about your relationship with your partner? Such a topic shouldn't even exist! At work they should act completely professional and not having thoughts about what your partner looked like first thing in the morning. It's the crime show's fault, she mused. They always portrayed perfect looking women and their charming and of course very athletic partner.

"Go for it"

"Excuse me?"

"Having a fantasy?"

"ABBY!"

"Sorry. My advice is, go for it"

"For what?"

Abby eyed her skeptically. "You and Tony! You should really get together. Don't come here and deny that you're not attracted to him?"

"Well…I-" Kate trailed off, not having a good answer to that. Right now, she didn't know at all what she thought about the unknown change in their relationship.

"Gibbs will fire us" Kate then blurted out.

"Ah! So that's why you two have contained yourselves for almost three years. Good job, Kate. And Tony, it's not like him. But I'll tell you what, Gibbs will not fire you and no, Tony won't dump you, Kate"

"I didn't even say that"

"But you were thinking it" Abby said. _A typical Gibbs-comment, _Kate noticed as she let her thoughts wander. Two friends falling asleep to a movie was technically nothing to fuss about. _But the way we woke up…_And the tensed morning had been hell and if she had to stay at Tony's place for a few more days, they would have to solve this.

"Kate, you two really need to talk"

"Tony, having a serious conversation with me?"

"Don't be so condescending. He can be very sincere if he has to. And that's not a side you will see, it's scary"

Kate nodded absently and recalled the night when they'd watched AFV and he'd given her the key. When he'd kissed her…on the cheek of course but still…and before she could stop herself, Kate found herself speaking again.

"He gave me a key to his apartment"

"Really?" Abby said amused. "Kate, this guy is so into you! Why can't you see it?"

"Because…it's a really bad idea!"

"Listen to me, it's your decision. _I _think you should dare to try. He's not that bad, Kate"

Kate sighed. "I…don't know…I should probably go. Gibbs will be looking for me. See ya later"

"Sure" Abby watched after her friend as she left, taking the stairs this time. Abby smiled. Kate always took the stairs when she needed to think. Just as she turned back to her microscope the elevator dinged and familiar steps were heard.

"Okay, next" she said sarcastically as Tony walked in and sat on the chair Kate just left. "Why do I feel like the new NCIS shrink?"

"Kate was here?" Tony asked, ignoring Abby's last statement.

"Yup. So, what's on your mind then?"

"You probably know already"

"Of course I do. Anyway, you really let Kate sleep? You didn't wake her up?"

"Um, no. It seemed…rude"

Abby smiled good-naturedly. "You two are so cute!"

"We haven't talked all day. How's that _cute_?" he questioned, raising a brow.

Abby groaned. "Neither of you get the point so I'm going to lay it out simply for you; you and Kate have this magical chemistry. Following so far?"

"I guess I am…"

"Okay, good. You two are so attracted to each other but you both try to conceal it. And last night you failed"

"I did?"

"Yes, by letting her sleep in your bed, with you. A line was crossed and you two know it, and are scared like hell"

"How do you know all this?"

"Because you two are in love and when you're in love, your judgement isn't what it use to be"

"I'm not…"

Abby glared. "Oh come on, Tony! Don't say that you don't have a thing for Kate"

"Even if I have, it's wrong, Abs. We work together. It should be nothing more, nothing less"

"But it isn't"  
"I know" he sighed. This was complicated. Tony hated complicated. Usually, he ran from it. He ran when his latest girlfriend's husband found out, he ran when there was too much pressure on him. But now he couldn't, he couldn't run away from Kate. Neither physically, nor mentally.

"And you the almighty shrink suggest?"

"That you two talk and then kiss and make up" Abby answered firmly. Tony eyed her.

"You're crazy, Abs"

"So I've been told" she grinned. Tony shook his head. There was no use talking to Abby. She'd made up her mind, and much like with Gibbs, it was near impossible to change it. He stood.

"I'll try but I'll blame you if she shoots me"

"Feel free to blame me all that you want. Good luck" she practically sing sang as Tony left. _They are so blind! _

---

Up in the bullpen, they were still working the McKenzie case, which looked like it was going cold any minute now. With no leads or witnesses they were pretty much stuck. But neither Kate nor Tony were bothered by the case at the moment, they were too busy with their own thoughts. McGee aimlessly typed something, probably IM:ing Abby and Gibbs was drinking coffee and writing something in his report. Snow fell outside the window and Kate felt like her life couldn't get more complicated than this. Of course it had been tensed between them before, like after they'd been isolated at Bethesda. It had taken weeks before Kate had come over the experience and started to see Tony as Tony again, because every time she saw him, images of him dying popped up before her eyes.

"Kate, Tony, McGee, there's nothing else here to do. Go home" Gibbs said. He'd realised that this case was one of the very rare ones that he wouldn't solve. Keeping his agents there to play solitaire and IM:ing didn't seem fair. Knowing better than questioning Gibbs orders, his agents quickly turned off their computers and desk lights and went for the elevator.

During the ride, McGee sensed the uneasy tension. Abby had told him briefly about what was going on but it still confused him. Tony's and Kate's relationship was probably something he would never understand. One day they could fight and look like they would kill each other, just to show an enormous amount of care the next day. Then they also did some flirting in between the threats and the comforting words, which made the situation even more incomprehensible. Right now, they snuck glances at each other. If this was counted as threat, comfort or flirting, McGee didn't know. Maybe some weird mix than resulted in awkward silence? He knew they lived together, which made this even more interesting. McGee knew Abby would give anything to be a fly on the wall in Tony's apartment tonight. And as he watched them walk across the parking garage, he began to wish the same.

---

The ride to Tony's apartment was just as silent and awkward as this morning. The radio played in the background and Tony kept his eyes focused on the road while Kate looked at the snow-covered trees that were flying by. She was careful not to give after and begin to speak. She had no idea what to say, but she knew she had to say something. As they parked, it was like they'd reached their limit since neither of them left the car. They had to talk and they both knew it.

"Kate…"

"Tony…" they said simultaneously. Tony smiled awkwardly. "You go ahead" he said. Kate turned away her face and began, letting her mouth speak without knowing what to say.

"Thanks for not waking me up…" she said in a low voice. "And I know this should probably not change anything but I just…I'm not used to it…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. And I'm sorry for not talking to you today" he said softly, sensing how hard it was for Kate to take the first step and talk.

"Ditto" she said with a sheepish smile. "Come on, let's go. I don't know about you but I'm hungry" she added and left the car. Tony smiled to himself and then left as well. As they walked up to his building, the snow on the ground became even more tempting. Tony knew Kate hated snow but still, tossing a snowball at her and get a priceless face back…Before he knew it, he had a snowball in his hand and was aiming for her shoulder. _She's so going to kill me. _Kate was walking up towards the porch when she felt something hit her shoulder. She spun around and was met by Tony's smirking face. _He's so asking for it…_They'd just broke the ice and of course he'd decided to immediately pull a prank at her, the earlier awkwardness leaving no trace.

"Tony, I'm going to shoot you. Come on, I'm hungry!" she said firmly even if she knew he wouldn't give up and that she could probably await more snowballs. Tony looked at her skeptically as he walked up to her. And in one swift move he'd her thrown over his shoulder as he walked for the lawn and giant snowdrift.

"TONY! Let me down. Remember that I know where you keep your weapons!" she threatened.

"But, Katie…please, just one time" he said with a childish voice. He wiggled his eye brows teasingly as he dropped her down in the snow. Kate shrieked which earned her a laugh from Tony. He tossed some snow at her and grinned.

"See, not that bad? We should call Abby, she wants to have snowball fight and since you're already soaked, why quit now?" He reasoned which earned him a glare from Kate. Quickly she made her own snowball and fired it at Tony and hit him right in the face.

"Ahhh!" he shrieked as the snow slipped down his neck and behind his collar. Kate laughed from where she lay discarded in the snow.

"I always get revenge, Tony"

He eyed her for a moment and then slumped down in the snow beside her. "I know, Kate" he said softly and smiled. He turned his face at her and suddenly his smile faded and that unreadable look covered his face again. Kate's faint smile began to fade as well as she tried to read his expression. Why was he looking at her like that? But as soon as the moment had appeared, it vanished as Tony stood.

"Race you to the shower" he said and took off. Kate shook her head and slowly stood, brushing snow off her clothes and then followed him. As she climbed the steps she heard Tony unlock his door and making a dash for the bathroom. She smiled. He could gladly get to shower first if it meant they were on good terms again.

_**Sorry there, had to put in some TV show irony! Gosh, I love to write Abby's character. It's so easy and since she reminds me of well…me, it makes the story a lot more personal. So, I have my own hatred for snow integrated into Kate's character and Abby's energetic personality as a reflection of my own…when I've had too much coffee, but that's beside the point! Now review :D **_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

When Kate entered Tony's apartment, she heard the shower running. Quickly she shed her soaked coat and shoes by the door and waited in the hall for him to finish. It took about five more minutes before the bathroom door opened and Tony stepped out with a towel around his waist. They both blushed slightly at the situation.

"I'll just…go and fix us something to eat" Tony muttered and quickly left. Kate smiled after him. Was he embarrassed? The cocky, self-confident playboy, was actually a bit shy of appearing before her in just a towel? It was rather cute, as when they were down in Cuba and she and Gibbs had stormed into his bedroom. Only to find him naked, pointing his Sig at an iguana. He'd blushed furiously then too as Gibbs had left the room and he'd stood there with a chair to cover himself. Still grinning like an idiot, Kate locked herself into the bathroom to get rid of the ice that had formed in her hair. When she'd finished, she dove into her room to quickly dress before helping Tony. It was really nice of him to let her stay here so the least she could do was helping him out. As she pulled a t-shirt over her head, her cell rang. She located it in her jeans pocket.

"Todd. Oh hi, sure. Great. Thanks" she quickly ended the phone call. It was her landlord. The heating was fixed, she could move back tomorrow. _Good, _she thought. It would be nice to sleep in her own bed again. But why did she feel _so _disappointed?

---

In the kitchen, Tony stood by the counter, preparing dinner. "Who called?" he asked casually.

"My landlord, the heating is fixed. I can move back tomorrow"

"Oh, okay" was all he said.

"Want any help?" Kate asked. He shook his head. "No, I got it" he said, sounding a bit tired. Kate just shrugged and sat by the table and watched him. The side of Tony she saw at home really amazed her. Was this how he was really like? Cause after all, this had to be his real self. The Tony she saw at work was the working Tony. The fact that he managed to charm so many women to his side didn't seem so impossible now. Cause even Kate had to admit that Tony had a charming personality.

"Penny for your thoughts" he said softly as he sat across from her, when he'd assured himself that nothing would boil over.

"What?"

"You seemed a bit…zoned out?"

Kate looked down at her hands. Should she say it? "Tony, do you think we _really _know each other?"

"What?" He looked very confused at her question.

"Yeah, I mean…We know each other through work, each other's tactics and signs but…you know, forget it, it was stupid" she blushed slightly even if she was still pretty curious.

"No, hold on there. What do you mean?"

"I…don't know. Just forget it okay?"  
Tony watched her for a moment. "I guess you're right"

"About?"

"That we know each other on a professional level but not as good on a personal"

"Well, um…I can't help but think…how…" she paused. "How different you are at home" she blushed furiously again.

Tony gave a half smile. "You may have a point there"

"So…you're aware of it yourself?"

He shrugged. "I don't know…I haven't given it much of a thought" Kate nodded and an awkward silence hovered over them, much like the one that he been between them earlier today.

"You know what, let's play 20 questions and we'll get to know each other. I mean, we've known each other for more than three years…" Now Tony looked a bit embarrassed. _Damn, he looks cute when he's blushing…_

"Sure" Kate agreed. "Me first. Okay…do you have any siblings?"

"No, I don't. It was mom, dad and I. My mom died seven years ago and my dad lives in Albany, NY. Rita, our housekeeper for over 20 years, keeps him company. He doesn't work so much anymore. My cousins run the business. So, your turn, any siblings, Katie?"

"Well…yes. My parents live together in Indiana, along with my three brothers and their families. My sister lives in Miami, where she works as a lawyer. I moved to DC to begin my Secret Service training"

"You have any nieces and nephews?" At that question, Kate immediately smiled. She loved those kids. "Eight. Hold on…" she quickly got up and went out to the foyer.

A moment later she came back with her wallet. She opened it and fished out a few pictures.

"Here" she held out the first one. It was of the eight kids. Tony couldn't help but notice that some of them looked very much like Kate. Kate pointed at a little girl, not older than six. "That's what I looked like when I was five years old. She looks just like me…" Tony smiled. They all had brown hair and dark eyes, just as Kate. Then she showed another picture. "Those are my parents, they've been married for almost forty years"

"Really?"

"They were high school sweethearts" Kate smiled. High school sweethearts that actually got married were rare these days. Then she lay out another picture. "That's me and my brothers and my sister"

"Hey, there's the male version of you" Tony pointed at a tall guy with the same features as Kate.

"Well, yeah. Jackson and I are pretty much alike, yes. Hannah is his daughter" Kate said, referring to the girl that was a reflection of herself.

"And this…" she said and showed him the last photo. "This is my whole family" Tony looked at the picture carefully. He counted nineteen people. All her siblings were married and he immediately understood why Kate took relationships and marriage so seriously. As she'd read his mind, she spoke:

"They all work for me to get married. Mom won't give me a minute in peace before I've settled down. And dad said he refuses to die until he's seen my kids…" she smiled, embarrassed that she actually told Tony these things. But he didn't seem to notice.

"Guess it's my turn, but I don't have any pictures" he said, almost a bit bitterly.

Kate smiled faintly. Sensitive subject. She knew Tony wasn't especially close to his father. And it was understandable. At least she knew about his father's alcoholism. That was at least something personal…Silently, Kate put the pictures back into her wallet and left it in her purse again. When she came back, Tony stood by the counter, continuing to prepare dinner, and not wanting to continue their emotional conversation now, she sat down by the table again without a word.

About twenty minutes later, they sat by the table again but now with plates of food in front of them. Kate was once again amazed by the fact that Tony could cook. He really didn't seem like the cooking type.

"I guess we should continue our little game" she said. "My turn. When you was little, what did you want to work with?"

Now, Tony blushed again. "Seriously?"

"Yep, seriously" He seemed to hesitate for a moment before he spoke.

"I…wanted to be a knight. And save a princess from the evil monster. Silly huh?" he said and poked around in his food. Kate smiled.

"It's not silly. It's sweet"

"What about you?"

"I didn't know. I wanted to be so many things. Teacher when I was really young, then I wanted to be a fashion designer, architect, lawyer, writer and for a moment I actually wanted to work with cars" At this Tony raised a brow. "Cars?"

"Yep. My brothers always played with their Hot Wheels and stuff and I…well I owned a few of those little cars as well" Kate said.

"A few?"  
"Okay! I had about 40 of them" he looked at her skeptically. "Okay! I still have them in a box in my closet. Happy now?"

"Wow, I didn't think that about you" Tony grinned.

"Well, now you know. Okay, my turn…the most embarrassing you've ever done?"

"That's a long list…"

"Figures…"

He gave her a sarcastic look but then smiled. "You really wanna know?"

"Of course I want to. If I have to blackmail you"

"Then I won't tell"

"Oh come on, Tony! I was kidding!"

"Okay! When I was around twelve, I peed my pants in public"  
"WHAT?"

"I was…scared"

Now he blushed again. Kate still wasn't used to see him blush. Another reason for her to wonder if they really knew each other.

"Your turn, Katie"

"I…guess it was when I graduated high school" now it was her turn to blush furiously.

"Don't say that you tripped when you walked up to get your diploma?" Tony said. It sounded like something taken directly from an American high school movie.

Embarrassed, Kate nodded, still recalled how red her cheeks had been in that moment.

"I almost feel sorry for you there, Katie" Tony said softly and it sounded like he really meant it. Kate shrugged. "It was a long time ago"

They kept asking questions until their plates were empty and as she helped him load the dishwasher she realised that she'd actually gotten to know him much better.

"So, you're moving back tomorrow?"

"Uhm, yeah, I guess I am"

"Oh, okay" The slightly melancholic tone made Kate react and look up. Did he sound disappointed?

"You gonna miss me, DiNozzo?" she teased but when she met his eyes her expression sobered. He was actually going to miss her…_Wow…_

"I…well, it's been kinda nice you know. Not being home alone…" he said very quickly, not knowing why he told her this. He skilfully avoided her eyes. This was one of his most sacred secrets. He wasn't supposed to tell her! But the truth always seemed to get out anyway. He _was _going to miss her. It had been nice to have someone to share the meals with, watching TV with and just talking to someone after five pm. Even if they were only friends…

"Yeah" Kate gave a small laugh. "I know what you mean. It's…going to be empty when I come home" she almost slapped herself. Why did she tell him this? He was never going to let her live it down. Suddenly, an awkward silence once again appeared between them and Kate quickly put the plates in the dishwasher and then stood.

"I should pack…" she mumbled and walked out without looking at him. Tony looked after her and knew. She'd stopped herself as well. Why were they suddenly telling each other things that no one was supposed to know? Maybe they knew each other better than they thought…

---

When she entered the guest room, Kate slowed down. What she'd just told Tony was something as sacred that Abby didn't even know. And Tony was the last person she'd planned on telling. But there she was, confused over why she'd indirectly told Tony that's she would actually miss his company. Kate sighed. It was the truth, though. It was going to be empty to come home to an empty apartment. She'd enjoyed Tony's company, his cooking, and his sweet side that she'd never seen before.

Looking around the room, Kate realised that she had a few things to gather up. Her clothes were scattered around the room along with make up supplies. Slowly, she dragged out her duffel bag from under the bed and began folding her clothes. It had felt so natural to be there, that the thought of moving back home now seemed strange. There was a light knock on the door and Tony's face appeared.

"Hey" he said and walked in. He sat on the chair and watched her pack for a moment. He was going to miss her. Even if they annoyed the hell out of each other sometimes, he liked her company. She probably knew him better than she thought and their jokes felt familiar and he liked it. He intently watched her back as she folded a pair of jeans. A clinking sound soon caught her attention. Tony's key had fallen out of her pocket. Carefully she picked it up.

"Guess I should be handing this back to you" she said and stood, holding out the key in her hand. Tony stood as well and walked over to her, but instead of taking it, he closed her fingers around the object.

"Keep it"

"What?"

"You know…in case of emergency" he said with a half smile.

"Okay, but you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, DiNozzo" she said and the mood didn't feel as tense anymore. "I may show up when you least expect it"

"I'll take the risk" he said and walked for the door. His expression sobered once again. "And you're welcome whenever you want, Kate" he said before he left her alone. Kate stared down at the key. Tony'd just given her a key to his apartment. A key for her to keep. _We definitely know each other better than we first thought…_

_**Chapter 6 finished! How was it? Cute? Good? OOC? Please review, you know how much I love reviews :D **_


	7. Chapter 7

_**I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while. Suffered slight WB. I hate WB…Anyway, here it is, please review:D**_

**Chapter 7**

"You two are so obvious, Kate!" Abby squealed as she processed the information. "Now, let me see" Kate stared at her as if she was crazy.

"Abs, there's nothing to see!"

"Kate. Keys. Now"

Laughing and shaking her head, Kate reached into her pocked and fished out her set of keys. Last night she'd officially claimed Tony's key as hers by adding it to the rest of her keys. Abby scrutinized it and grinned.

"I bet my Caf-Pow that half of your stuff will be at his place within a month"

"Abby, for the hundredth time, Tony and I are not together!"

"Whatever you say. It's just a matter of time, Kate" Kate shook her head; sure, it had been moments when she contemplated that there's something more between her and Tony. But no, it was jus plain and innocent flirting. The words her, Tony and committed relationship didn't fit in the same sentence.

"So, moving back home tonight?" Abby asked. Kate nodded. "Yep"

"You gonna miss him?" To Abby's surprise, Kate shrugged and smiled rather sheepishly. "Maybe a little bit"

"I knew it!"

"It's not like that! It's…it was just nice having company at home. That's all, I swear!"

"Kate Todd, you are so into this man that you're almost scaring me"

Once again Abby received an are-you-crazy-look from Kate. "I'm going back up. You're impossible"

"So I've been told. Say hi to your boyfriend from me" Abby wiggled her eyebrows before turning back to her microscope. Kate just rolled her eyes. Yes, at a few rare times, she'd wondered if she actually wanted something more than friendship but even then she'd known that it would never happen. Then why, once again did she feel so disappointed?

---

Up in the bullpen, she spotted Gibbs reluctantly gather up the files from the McKenzie case and place them in the file cabinet. Then he left without a word.

"Case went cold" Kate stated as she approached her desk.

"Yep" Tony said. "Now we only have about fifteen other case reports to finish" he said sarcastically which made Kate smile. She took a file from her own pile and began to read it.

Five minutes later, annoying electronic sounds announced that Tony had started up another of his computer games.

"Can you turn off the sound, Tony?" Kate asked gently. McGee's head snapped up. He wasn't that good at reading people but Abby had taught him a thing or two. Or maybe fifty... Usually Kate would threaten to expose Tony to physical violence or cut off the electric cord to his computer. Now she calmly asked him to turn off the sound. Abby was right, something "hinky" was up between them. Living together may have changed a thing or two…Wanting to know what was up, McGee quickly sent an IM to Abby.

---

_**McGee: **__Kate is being nice to Tony_

_**AbbyS: **__Yeah, so what?_

_**McGee: **__She's not threatening him. Something's up!_

_**AbbyS: **__You begin to sound like me. I'm proud of you_

_**McGee: **__Whatever. Just wanted you to know_

_**AbbyS: **__Too late. Kate already told me_

_**McGee: **__They're sleeping together:O _

_**AbbyS: **__Not yet. But she got to keep the key to his place_

_**McGee: **__Really.._

_---_

After ending the conversation with Abby, McGee went back to work. And yes, not just Kate had changed; Tony had actually turned off the sound without any fuss. Abby was so right, it was only a matter of time now…

---

The afternoon passed slowly and Kate was busy with her own thoughts, tonight she would be alone – again. It wasn't such an appealing thought. She _had _really enjoyed spending time with Tony, more than she could even have imagined. Moving out, if only after a few days, made her feel pretty down. Now when everybody knew, they didn't make such a big deal of leaving together. Gibbs just shot them a glance before turning back to his computer. In the car, Kate noticed how Tony seemed pretty down too. The radio was off and he hadn't said a word since they left HQ. When they arrived at his apartment, he disappeared into his bedroom without a word. Shrugging, Kate went to collect her bags. As she placed her duffel bag by the door, Tony came out, now dressed casually in jeans and an Ohio State t-shirt.

"Wanna eat before you leave?" he said softly as he passed her on his way to the kitchen. Kate, who didn't really look forward to go home to an empty apartment, quickly followed him.

"What's for dinner tonight?" she asked.

"Well, I was thinking something alone the line of…a barbecue"

"A barbecue? In the middle of January?"

"Yes, we need some summer feelings here. You up for it?" he smiled a half smile.

"Sure!" Kate said, curious about how he was going to do this.

"I was thinking about inviting Abby and McGee, what do you think?"

Kate smiled. It was a great idea. "Okay" They both smiled, secretly relieved that they now got a change to procrastinate, well, the inevitable. While Kate called Abby, Tony rummaged through his fridge for something to eat.

"Abby'll bring some beer. Got anything to eat?"

"Hamburgers okay with you?"

"Sure"

Neither of them seemed as down, as they danced around and prepared the meal and lighting the grill on Tony's balcony. About thirty minutes later there was a loud knock on the door and Abby let herself and McGee in.

"I come bearing liquor" she exclaimed dramatically and Kate laughed and accepted the bottles. "Thanks Abs" Abby just grinned and followed her out in the kitchen. "Where's Tony?"

"Watching the grill. Why?"

"I don't get why we're having a barbecue in January" Abby said, a bit confused even if she knew Tony could come up with, well anything.

"He said we needed some summer feelings" Kate said with a shrug. Abby laughed.

"I could get used to this"  
"You two… inviting your friends to your shared apartment" she raised her brows suggestively.

"Abby, please, not again"

"I'm just say what we all already know"

"Abs, I'm moving back home tonight"

"And so you tells us…"

Kate rolled her eyes and finished unpacking the stuff Abby and McGee brought. She smiled when she fished out a bag of marshmallows. Perfect.

---

After a while, Kate and Abby joined the guys on the balcony.

"Tony, why have a barbecue in the middle of the winter?" Abby asked. "Geez!"

"Don't be so negative, it'll be fun" Tony grinned.

"Whatever you say, me and Kate are going back in. Coming, McGee?"

"Sure" McGee said, shivering violently from the cold, lips almost blue. Abby gently shoved him inside. As they passed Tony he called out;

"Abby stay away from the lighter fluid" In response, she slapped his arm.

"I missed something?" Kate said as they went inside.

"During Tony's first year at NCIS, I… had well…a small incident involving a bottle of lighter fluid" Abby admitted. Kate laughed. She loved hanging out with these people. Coming home would certainly become lonely.

The evening passed quickly while beers, cheeseburgers and marshmallows disappeared from the table. Around midnight, Abby and McGee excused themselves and left. While cleaning up the kitchen, the mood once again fell. They both knew why but neither of them wanted to voice it out loud. As Kate dried her hands on a towel and prepared to leave she felt Tony glancing at her.

"What?"

"Um…you could stay here tonight, you know," he said, almost nervously. Kate smiled gently.

"Thanks, but I have to go home" She moved slowly out to the foyer, putting on her coat and shoes. But then finally, she stood by his door, ready to leave.

"Thanks for letting me stay" she mumbled, now avoiding his eyes again, knowing that if she looked up, she might accept his offer.

"Pleasure was all mine" he assured her with a smile. Then he walked up to her and gently adjusted the collar on her coat. "Bye, Kate. Drive safely"

"Yeah, bye. And thanks again. I'll make it up to you"

"No need to. G'night" he mumbled as she opened the door and stepped out in the hall. They shared a quick hug before Kate began to walk down the hall, for the elevator. As she pressed the button to the main floor, she sighed. She should have accepted his offer…

**_Well, how was it? A bit short maybe, I know. But I hope the next chapter will be longer. Until then, please REVIEW :D _**


	8. Chapter 8

_**So here it is, the eighth chapter. Thank you all for your reviews, they're very motivating :D I hope you'll like this chapter too, I'll try to put in some more Tate.**_

**Chapter 8**

Two hours had passed since Kate arrived back home. The air had been dry and still rather cold and made it feel even more unwelcoming. What caught her a bit off guard was that her apartment felt way too big and way too empty. Last week, she'd felt like the walls were suffocating her. _Guess things change fast…_ Even if she was reluctant to admit it, Kate knew she missed company. Correction, _Tony's _company. How was it possible? What the hell had changed? Except for the part when she'd spent the night in the same bed as him with less than an inch between them…

"I'm going crazy" she said to no one. "I am talking to myself, this is ridiculous" Feeling too awake to go to bed she slumped down on her couch. The cushions were still pretty chilly but it didn't prevent her from burying her face in the fabric. _This. Was. Not. Good. _When she needed to breath again, she rolled on her back and stared at the dark ceiling, finding herself counting down the hours until she could see him again. God, this was silly!

Another hour passed in what Kate would call Hell. She paced around her apartment, trying to sort out her thoughts. It was like getting home had brought her back to reality. Living with Tony had been like living in a bubble…Geez, what was _wrong_ with her?! Feeling like slapping herself, Kate decided to go to bed. At least then she wouldn't have to deal with the silly reality. _Except in your dreams…_A small voice reminded her and Kate groaned. After the voice made a few more appearances Kate shouted out loud:

"Oh shut up!"

---

Kate wasn't the only one who lay sleepless that night. Tony also lay wide-awake having the same feeling of emptiness. _What the hell has happened with me? _Since when did Tony DiNozzo feel like someone had _left _him? He shifted and lay on his side. Only a few nights ago, Kate lay there by his side, arms and legs tangled around his. It felt very distant now. Having her living there had been so natural and suddenly living alone was unfamiliar.

"I'm so screwed" he said to the worn turtle his mother had given him for luck when he played football for Ohio State. The turtle had then gotten the name Alfred and faithfully sat on his drawer, looking down at him with wistful eyes. "Tell me what to do" he demanded from the turtle. He would rather die than admit that at a few occasions he talked to Alfred. Both because he didn't give some smart-ass comment back and Tony said what he wanted to say without any interruption. Although, now he wished that Alfred could talk. Cause he had _no _idea what to do.

---

Since it was Saturday, Kate didn't have to bother to go up at seven. As the clock struck eleven am, she still lay in bed, covers and pillows in a mess. She'd lost count of how many times she'd tossed and turned for the past hours. She'd gotten a couple of hours of sleep and then drifted off now and then ever since around seven thirty. But now she had to do something, this was getting boring. Sighing, she got up and picked up a few pillows from the floor.

When she was little, she'd always woken up with her duvet on the floor. Her brothers still teased her about it. _Guess old habits die hard, _she thought. Ironically, one habit had died extremely fast. The habit of spending her hours alone. That one was definitely gone. Suddenly she craved for company. She'd never been like that. When she was a teenager, she enjoyed being alone. Drawing, reading, just being with herself. Now she'd been without another human's company for around twelve hours, and was going completely nuts! And before she knew it, she'd picked up her phone to call Abby.

"You miss Tony" was Abby's greeting as the click signalled that someone picked up in the other end.

"Abby!"

"But you do"

"Yeah maybe but…"

"Ha! Gotcha. So, what else except the fact that you can't stay away from our favourite Italian Special Agent?"

Kate knew she was blushing. "I feel like a teenager"

"I can understand that" Kate blushed furiously, she could practically hear Abby's knowing smirk and she knew her friend had got the best of her.

"This is so silly. A typical thing my brothers would tease me for"

"Then don't tell them. But there's always the inevitable "how did you meet?"- question at the family dinners"

"ABBY!"

"Move in"  
"What?!"

"You have the key, the permission. If you refuse to do something about the sexual tension of yours, then at least move in as friends"

"That would drive me crazy"

"Then kiss the man for God's sake!"

"You're impossible. I'm hanging up now. I have problems to take care of"

"Figured…Good luck, Kate" Abby teased and then they both hung up. Kate stared at the phone. Well, this was…rewarding? Not!

---

The clock struck three pm before Kate was ready to jump out the window. Without really thinking she grabbed her purse and bolted out the door, not really knowing why. When she parked outside Tony's building it was like she'd ran into a wall. What the hell was she doing here?! He would think she was crazy and tease her to death about it. Still, Kate soon found herself before his door. _Why am I here?! Don't you dare knock, Kate. _

"Hey, Kate. What are you doing here?" Tony looked completely shocked when he opened the door.

"I…" _Shit, what I am going to say to that? _"I was…bored" she managed to get out, as nonchalantly as she could. He eyed her for a moment, then grinned. "You missed me. Aww, how cute"

Kate glared, for a moment, forgetting the circumstances and how stupid she must look right now. "You gonna let me in?" she demanded and for a while sounded like herself. Chuckling, Tony stepped aside ande Kate walked in. She kicked off her shoes and hung her coat on the peg where it'd hung for the past few days. Then she turned to him.

"I…my…apartment felt…a bit empty" she said in a low voice. He stared at her. "What?" Tony looked completely confused. She groaned inwardly. Why was she even here? This had to be the most stupid idea of mankind. What did she expect, really?

"I…don't know" she said and blushed furiously and turned away her face. "Can I…um get a glass of water?" she mumbled.

"You know where to find it" Tony said softly and looked after her as she walked off. He'd caught her earlier sentence but what did she mean? Did she mean what _he _wanted it to mean?

Suddenly he smiled. Kate was freaking out. Kate _never _freaked out. Of course, she wasn't alone about it, but apparently, even as a profiler, she couldn't conceal it. Now he followed her and stood in the doorway and watched her.

"Don't laugh at me, DiNozzo" she muttered.

"Okay, sorry. Kate?"

She looked up. "What?"

"Calm down. What are you doing here?" he knew he should push it. If she was here for the same reason he'd contemplated going over to her place, he knew how awkward this was for her.

"I was bored at home, DiNozzo" she said, now sounding a bit more confident. _God this is bad. _She mentally cursed herself. _Okay, Kate. Listen to the facts. _She tried that but it wasn't at good idea since one, she actually missed Tony. Two, living alone suddenly seemed very strange and three, Abby was convinced they were madly in love with each other. _Well, that didn't exactly help. _She emptied the glass and put it in the sink. So…what now?

"Now care to tell me why you are here…or did you just want some company?" Tony asked softly. She met his eyes but didn't answer. Then his face split into a teasing grin. "You're freaking out, Kate. Wanna tell me why or should I guess? You do know that _I _know when you're lying?" She glared. But he was right. Tony always knew when she lied and if she could have a say, she was a pretty bad liar. At least outside the interrogation room. In there, anyone could lie. But here, in Tony's kitchen, on a Saturday afternoon, it didn't seem as easy anymore.

"You're goldfish died?" Tony teased and Kate was on the verge to slap him. Her head was almost spinning with all the excuses she could make and all the different reasons to why she'd ended up here in the first place.

"Okay, maybe not" Tony continued, still smirking. _DiNozzo, you already know. Why torment her? Oh yeah, cause it's fun! _"Gibbs called and fired you?" Another glare. "Maybe not that either…"

"Tony! Shut up"

"You're freaking out, Katie. Don't deny it. Actually…it's rather sweet. But the funny thing here is, you never freak out. So something must be very…hinky?" he teased, using Abby's made-up word. Kate blushed slightly. _Yeah you could call it hinky, indeed._ And she knew he knew she was freaking out. Why was she acting like a teenager? Why did it feel like she had no control _at all_? Abby's voice suddenly cut into the drama inside her head, uttering the same words she'd nagged about for almost six months now. _You're freakin' in love with the guy, Kate. Face it! _Everytime the lab tech had tried to convince her friend, Kate had violently denied the fact and quickly left the lab before Abby could come with more arguments.

"Kate?" Tony brought her back to reality by waving his hand before here eyes. "Still not wanna tell me?" She just sighed and walked past him, into the living room. She slumped down on the couch and grabbed the remote.

"Make yourself comfortable" Tony said sarcastically and slumped down beside her. But a part of him liked the fact that Kate felt so at home at his house.

"Kate! I wanna watch that, stop" He put a hand on her arm to stop her endless channel surfing. The glare he got told him one thing. _Bad idea. Mental note, be at least six feet away from Kate when she's freaking out. _As he should have known by now, he had no idea what to expect from Kate when she was all wired up. But still, he didn't see the pillow that a millisecond later slapped his face. When he had recovered from the slight shock he saw Kate, grinning at him, ready to hit again.

"You want to have a _pillow fight_? That's why you came here?" he asked, raising a brow, still wanting to know the _real _reason to why she was here. Of course he could guess but…what fun is that? Hearing Kate admit something was _much _more fun.

"According to you I'm freaking out. You should stay away from people while they're freaking out, DiNozzo"

He laughed, which earned him another slap with the pillow. Not wanting to take the abuse, he picked up a pillow of his own and managed to throw a few playful punches back at her.

Suddenly, Kate's shriek made him drop the pillow and stare at her.

"Ouch, DiNozzo!" when he studied her face, he spotted the red mark on her cheek, a blood drop trailing down.

"You hit me with the zipper!" she accused him and glared.

"I'm sorry, Kate" he said and actually meant it. He moved closer and wiped away the blood with his thumb. "I'm sorry, okay? Call it a truce?" Still glaring, Tony knew if looks could kill, he would be dead now. Then he started to laugh, making Kate even more annoyed.

"You know you're cute when you're pouting, right?" he said. She was, looking very much like a little girl, being grumpy cause she didn't get the doll she wanted from the toy store.

"Aww, come on, Kate. I said I was sorry" he now gave her his puppy eyes look. A few moments later she couldn't hold it any longer and smiled at him. "You're so silly. But I won!"

"Did not"

"Did too"

"Did not"

"Argh! Not this argument again"

"Then you could tell me _why _you're here?"

"Stop with the pestering, DiNozzo. You sound like a school boy"

"Well according to you I _am _a school boy" he grinned triumphantly, knowing he won this round. Kate just shook her head and smiled. _See, this is why you came here, Kate. You have fun with him! _

"So, truce?" Tony said and offered her his hand.

"I'll think about it"  
"Want a band aid?" he asked and gently touched her cheek where another blood drop had found it's way down her cheek. Kate froze for a moment. His touch was burning, at the same time, as it was extremely light.

"Nah, I'll be good" she managed to get out. Tony smiled. "You sure?" now she just nodded. Giving it a last thought he opened his mouth to speak before he chickened out.

"Want med to kiss it better?" he smiled his brightest and unfortunately most charming smile.

"I…um…" Kate trailed off, still not really getting what he just said. He looked serious…

"I take that as a yes then"

And then, a bit hesitantly though, Tony leaned forward and gently pressed a kiss to her cheek, just below the small cut.

"Better?" he whispered. Kate almost shivered, feeling his breath against her ear.

"A little bit" she said, now smiling a half smile. She felt Tony smile too, against her cheeks as he left a trail of kisses down her cheek and jaw. Kate closed her eyes, all her rationality slowly fading. When he reached her lips, he pulled back slightly.

"Still not better?"

"It still stings a bit…" she murmured and you could practically hear the smile in her voice. Chuckling slightly, Tony leaned closer and gently captured her lips with his. Kate didn't hesitate to respond and gently moved her hands up to his neck.

"Wanna admit that you missed me?" Tony said when they broke apart, foreheads touching.

"I missed you" Kate said softly. They both smiled and Kate couldn't help but kiss him again.

"No more freaking out?" he asked. She shook her head. "Not unless my imaginary goldfish die"

He laughed. "You never know with goldfishes. So…up for lunch?"

**Aww, finally some TATE!! I know many of you have been waiting for it. It was extremely fun to write this chapter. I hope you had as fun, reading it. And I managed to insert the title in the fic. Yay, old habits die hard is a favourite expression of mine. I count it everytime I see or hear it. So far I've seen it in two fics, an episode of Bones and one time spotted in JAG. I'm not sure whether I heard in CSI yesterday…Anyway, that's just a strange obsession of mine. I hope I didn't scare you away.**

**Btw, was the Kate/Abby phone call OOC? Maybe…Although, in the episodes when Tony drove her nuts about clipping his finger nails she kinda freaked out, right? So it's not that OOC?**

**Now, please review! And stay tuned for the next chapter, yes, there will be more!**


	9. Chapter 9

**_I'm sorry for the delay, I've suffered minor WB. Now when they've finally gotten together, it's hard to continue the story in a believable way. I put in some humor of course, but also some seriousness. It's hard to write a story with only humor and nothing serious. But I hope I did a good job and that you'll enjoy. Please review and tell me what you think. Sorry for posting, Jos. You'll have a billion alert mails when you come home:)_**

**Chapter 9**

30 minutes later, they sat in Tony's kitchen with a fork each and a plate of chicken salad between them.

"We should...be rather quiet about this" Kate said. Tony nodded, immediately understanding.

"But if we tell Abby, I bet the whole NCIS headquarters and every other federal office building in DC will know within 24 hours"

Kate laughed. "We can't keep it from her. Both because she knows everything and because she's our friend"

He nodded thoughtfully and poked around in the salad. His smile faded for a moment. "It's going to be hard, Kate. And I don't want to…I don't want this to end badly"

"Me neither. Gibbs would kill you" Kate said with a half smile, but getting a warm feeling that Tony cared so much about their relationship.

"Yeah, probably. But seriously, Kate. I personally think we should stay quiet until we've proved to Gibbs that we can separate personal from professional out on the field" he reasoned. He sounded very serious…mature…and that made Kate even more sure about this. She and Tony'd always had a connection. But she'd never thought it would go farther than friendship.

"I agree. I think…that's the best for us as well…" she paused. "Want the last tomato?" she picked up the last cherry tomato from the plate between her thumb and index finger. Tony gave a wicked grin before leaning forward and gently grabbing her wrist. Slowly he brought it to his mouth, taking it from her hand and proceeded to gently kiss her fingers.

"Thanks" he murmured and Kate blushed slightly and smiled. "My pleasure"

They spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch, lazily watching old re-runs. For dinner they had some left over rice and curry from Tony's freezer before returning to the couch, catching an old movie. But now they did a lot of talking as well and Kate was surprised at all the deep things he had to say.

"You're staying tonight?" Tony whispered and let his lips play over her ear. Kate shivered and then nodded.

"If you'll let me, I'll be more than happy to"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you that I won't let you sleep in the guest room tonight"

"I'll live. Come on. Let's go. It's late"

---

As Kate entered his bedroom, she stopped. The last time she was here, they'd been supposed to watch a movie as friend and ended up spending the night in each other's arms.

"Something wrong?" Tony snuck up behind her after turning off the lights and locking the door. He wrapped his arms across her chest, chin lightly on her shoulder.

"Oh…no"

"Then I'll give you the infamous tour of the chamber of action" Kate laughed. He was still DiNozzo. That was fairly obvious. He moved them over to a closed door and then spoke softly in her ear.

"And right before us we see the DiNozzo closet. Filled with extremely boring and uncomfortable work suits, ties and dress shoes. But, I also have my favourite jeans, Ohio state shirts and my other weapon. In there I think you might find something to wear for the night. Any questions?" Kate laughed at his tone and choice of words.

"No questions"

"Okay. Great. Next destination, the DiNozzo drawer. Inherited from grandma DiNozzo" he moved over to the drawer by the wall, Kate still in a firm grip. "On top we see the compulsory family photos, in the drawer you'll find ammo to my gun, old stuff I haven't touched in years and this…" he moved them closer towards the top of the drawer. "This is Alfred the turtle. Alfred, meet Kate. Kate, meet my lucky turtle"

Kate laughed. "He looks sad"

"Don't offend him. He gives me luck. You have to keep him happy" Tony feigned hurt in his voice. Kate grinned. "Cute, Tony. Very cute"

"I know. I'm always cute" he showed of a wide charm smile and they continued. "And this, my dear Katie, is the DiNozzo bed. Where you, miss Todd, only days ago spent the night. It's also our location for tonight and many other nights. Hopefully…we'll do something else than just sleep then" he wiggled his eye brows and Kate blushed. "So, how was the tour? No questions?"

"No, no questions. And it was very enlightening" she turned in his arms to face him.

"I'll go and brush my teeth you can take a dive into the closet. I think you'll find something to wear"

"Great, thank you" Tony smiled at her and then released her and left the room.

Kate wasn't surprised to find several branded suits in his closet. _These must have cost more than two months pay…Geez. _She also found expensive Italian shoes and ties neatly placed on a rack. But behind his work attires, Kate found sweats, jeans, sneakers and hooded sweatshirt with Ohio State across them. Kate chose a navy blue NCIS t-shirt that didn't look too big.

"See, it fit" Tony came into the room and got his own t-shirt. He quickly changed and then told her there was a new toothbrush on the counter in the bathroom. When she returned Tony was already under the covers. He lifted them, offering her some space. She slid down beside him and rolled on her side, facing him. He eyed her back.

"Goodnight" she whispered, eyes still intently focused on his. His arm came around her and his hand slid under her shirt and up her bare back.

"Goodnight, Katie" he pulled her slightly closer, hand still under her shirt. Within minutes they were both asleep.

---

Happy that it was Sunday, Tony knew neither him nor Kate had to go to work today. But when he opened his eyes and rolled over he noticed that he was alone in the bed. He froze. Had she freaked again? Freaked and left? He sat up and his eyes scanned the room. He let out at sigh of relief when he spotted Kate's clothes still in a pile on the floor. She was still here. Glancing at his clock he saw it was almost ten thirty. _So Katie is a morning person…_He got out of bed and slipped on a pair of sweatpants before leaving the room. He spotted her in the living room, standing by a window, staring out at the DC skyline. She was chewing her nail, which meant that she was deep in thought.

"You okay?" his voice seemed to startle her and she spun around.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry" he said and managed to look apologetic. "So, anything wrong?"

"No…no. I just…needed to think"

"You're not freaking out again, are you?"

She glared for a moment. "I'm not freaking out. I just…needed to think. That's all" He walked closer and stood behind her. "Tell me what you're thinking about" he said softly and placed his hands on her hips.

"This. What we're doing" she said honestly. "If it's as dangerous as Gibbs thinks"

"How do you know how dangerous he finds it?"

"He told me that it makes agents do stupid things and…" she took a deep breath. "I don't know if it'll be that easy to not think of as just a co-worker if we would get into a dangerous situation"

Tony was taken aback by her words. Kate was a good agent. He trusted her to be professional. "Kate, I know you won't do anything stupid. I trust you with that" She smiled at him.

"Thanks. But you're right, this won't be easy. Simple relationships are tough and with what we do…it'll be a lot harder"

"But we'll do our best and I think that's more than enough. So don't worry" he said sincerely. Kate was touched by his words and smiled. "Thank you"

"No problem. So, you hungry?"

"A little bit"

"Come on, let's find something to eat" he let her go and walked for the kitchen, hearing her footsteps following him. Kate was right. Normal relationships were hard. And with what they did at work, their relationship would me much much harder. But he wanted to try. For the first time, Tony found himself not wanting to run as fast at things got complicated. Running would only make things ever _more _complicated.

"I have…bagels. Or eggs maybe?" he said and opened his fridge. "I need to do some shopping…"

"Bagels and coffee are fine" Kate said and snuck up by his side. "Got any cream cheese?"

"Always" he said and took out a small container. "Anything else you want?"

After digging through his fridge for some more tomatoes, Tony finally joined Kate by the table.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" she asked and put a layer of cream cheese on her bagel.

"Grocery shopping" Tony said. "You staying all day?"

"I guess I am" she said and took a bite and turned to look out the window. "I hate the snow"  
"I'm pretty aware of that, Katie" he said teasingly and received a glare. "Why do you hate it so much?"

"I don't know. When I was younger, I felt suffocated by it. I never liked to play outside in the winter and I guess…it's something that've followed me"

"I like the snow. I used to…build a fort and hide there" he suddenly sounded a bit…sad. "I didn't like to spend so much time at home" Kate only nodded. She knew Tony was reluctant to reveal things about his childhood.

"Anyway, I like the summer better but I guess winter isn't that bad either" he said, turning away from the subject again. Not wanting to put pressure on him, Kate nodded and then switched subject again. Some things would have to wait…

_**Finished! Was it OOC? I promise the next chapter will feature the team as well. It will probably be the last chapter and then an epilogue. Please please review! I love reviews :D**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Well, finally here it is, the tenth chapter. Probably the last one, I don't know for sure yet, I haven't come up with a good ending. And in this chapter I'm going to try to bring back the humor a bit. With Abby's help of course. Goth lab tech's are the answers to all humor-problems :) Anyway, I hope you'll like and please drop off a review :)**_

**Chapter 10**

The next morning it was Monday and Monday meant work. When they were five minutes from HQ, Tony noticed that Kate was chewing her nail. She was nervous. Nervous and right now lost in her own thoughts.

"You're going to chew your thumb off" Tony said. Both to cheer her up and to get her attention. She looked up at him and gave a faint smile. Kate had spent the night at Tony's again. On the condition that they got time so she could go home and change.

"Tony, Gibbs will figure it out"  
"Relax, Katie" The nickname awarded him a glare before she turned back to the window. She shouldn't do this. She shouldn't feel this. She'd promised Gibbs to not get involved with another co-worker. What the hell was wrong with her?! They arrived at the Navy Yard way too fast for Kate's liking.

"Tony, wait" she called out as the engine had died and he was just about to exit the car.

"What? You okay?" he immediately turned to her again.

"I…" she bit her lip. "What if Gibbs finds out? What do we do?"

"We take the shit and tell Gibbs the truth. That we can be adults despite what he thinks and that we will stay out of trouble" Kate smiled at his statement, but also at the fact that he'd said it to make her feel better.

"You make us sound like teenagers"

"Well, according to Gibbs, he feels like a high school principal so…I guess you have a point there" Kate smiled and Tony was relieved that she did. "So, wanna lie to Gibbs?"

"Not lying, Tony! Just…holding back a little of the information. I don't like the term lying" she playfully swatted his arm and Tony grinned at the smirk that played over her lips. _Taking every reason available to hit me…_he mused.

"Okay. Holding back, then. So, see you in a few" she nodded. "Great" Tony leaned in and quickly kissed her before exiting the car.

Since Gibbs probably knew she'd moved back home, she and Tony had decided to not come in together. She remained in the seat, absently chewing her nail again. This was more nerving than she'd imagined. She'd done this before, dated a co-worker and he'd ended up dead. But what was different now was that if he'd have to choose, she was pretty sure she would actually choose a personal relationship with Tony, than just working with him. In the Secret Service she would have, without doubt, chosen her job before the major she'd been dating. Of course she'd been shocked by his sudden death but along with her new job and new acquaintances she'd gotten over it without too much fuss. In the beginning she'd felt guilty for taking it so lightly but then reasoned that they'd only been going out for a few months, knowing each other just slightly longer. But now she couldn't even imagine having to hear that Tony was…dead. They'd known each other for more than three years. Gone through things someone on the outside could never imagine. Both good and bad and it was these feelings that made her pretty sure about what they were doing.

Now she checked his watch. Fifteen minutes had passed so it was probably safe to walk in now. Tony met her with his usual smile and greeted her like they hadn't seen each other since yesterday. She noticed the spark in her eyes and turned to greet McGee and Gibbs before her face showed some kind of reaction that sparkle in Tony's eyes. Even if Gibbs wasn't looking at her, it felt like he'd noticed Tony's gaze and that he somehow knew about their little improvement in their relationship.

Gibbs glanced at Kate. She acted like she was sitting on needled. For being a profiler, she wasn't that good at hiding what she was thinking and feeling at the moment. He watched as she nervously tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Something made Kate extremely nervous because despite that she might show her emotions, she was good at controlling her nerves. Eyeing her more closely, Gibbs noticed how she kept glancing up at Tony. Then he knew. His agents were sleeping together. Once again, they'd defied his rules. Silently he left the bullpen and walked up the stairs and then towards the director's office. Today, he didn't just barge in. He greeted Cynthia and actually asked if Jen was available. When he got thumbs up, he first knocked and then opened the door.

"Jethro?" Jen's face snapped up and she slowly took off her glasses. "Since when do you knock?" she asked, both amused and curious what this was about.

"I have a problem"

"Oh…okay?"

"They're dating"

"Agents DiNozzo and Todd?"

"Yeah"

"And that's a problem?"

"Don't play stupid with me, Jen. You know it is a problem. It makes usually good agents make stupid decisions"

"It may not happen to everyone cause it happened to us. They are good agents"

"They've already done it, Jen. When DiNozzo had the plague, Kate stayed isolated with him even if she wasn't sick. She risked getting infected by a genetically altered bacteria, by staying there with him"

Jen sighed and eyed him. "Sounds like a personal experience for Tony"

"Guess so. It became personal for all of us"

"Well, then it seems like it was for Kate as well. She stayed for her friend. Not her co-worker"

"Jen, you don't get it!" he exclaimed exasperated.

"You don't even know for sure that they're seeing each other" she retorted calmly.

"You're kidding me?"

She just raised a brow and then Gibbs gestured with his hand for her to follow him. Gibbs stormed out of the office, a skeptical Jen in tow. They stopped around the corner, not visible from the bullpen but they got a perfect view.

"They're dating?" Jen said teasingly, upon spotting Tony, Kate and McGee working silently by their desks.

"They don't dare do anything until I've been gone for a while. When they work late and I leave for more than 30 minutes they're always asleep when I come back" Jen chuckled. "Doesn't that prove that you shouldn't make them work so late?" He ignored the question just like she knew he would.

"See, I told you" he said then and gestured for the bullpen. Tony had snuck up to Kate's side, blocking the view of what they did and said from McGee.

"They're…talking?" he just sighed. The two of them kept watching the pair interact. Jen getting unsure about whether this felt like a stakeout or like two teenagers spying on their friends to win a bet. Jen was about to head back to her office when she begun to see Gibbs' point. Tony had leant closer from where he stood behind her chair. Kate had leaned back and slightly turned her head so their cheeks were touching.

"They're dating" Gibbs mumbled firmly.

"And? Let them have a personal life"  
"Together?"

"Yes. Since you make them work almost 24/7 I don't see why they couldn't spend their rare time off together"

"But listen, Jen. They've already proved that they take unnecessary risks"

"Jethro, they know what they're doing. Trust them! Leave them alone about this. As long as they're keeping it out from the fieldwork I don't see the problem. They've worked together for years, they trust _each other _about this. Leave them alone. They're not us" she said and then returned to her office without another word.

Gibbs sighed and shook his head. He was worried for the team. If their relationship ended badly, the team would take the consequence. How could he be certain that they would stay professional if they ended up in a situation out on the field? Trust them…Reluctantly Gibbs admitted that Jen's way of thinking was worth a try. He kept watching his agents. The whole episode seemed to go unnoticed by McGee. He was probably used to Tony and Kate fooling around. He watched as Tony's lips played over Kate's cheek for a very short moment before he went back to his own desk, leaving Kate with a faint blush. There was no doubt that they were more than co-workers. And it seemed like Gibbs would have to stand by the sideline this time and try to…trust them.

---

By noon, Gibbs told them to go to lunch. Tony and Kate saw the opportunity to spend some time alone and after promising Gibbs to be back by one thirty, they left.

"I swear he knows" Kate said the moment the elevator doors shut behind them.

"Come on, Kate…I f he knew, he would have confronted us"

"I guess he would…"  
"Listen. Now we go on a lunch break, we take the car and go somewhere far away where we can't be spotted and then we'll have lunch just like any other couple okay?" Kate nodded.

A few minutes later they sat in Tony's car. Since it was lunch, they caught the rush hour and realised this would be a quick lunch to not get back late.

"We're barely moving, dammit" Tony exclaimed. Kate tried to hide the smile that threatened to show. She knew how frustrated Tony could be when he was driving and in some way, she found it amusing.

"Are you laughing at me, Todd?" he said and pretended to threaten her. "Huh? Are you?" Kate burst out laughing. "You're just cute when you're being so mad at the traffic. Calm down, Tony. You're not a patient driver"  
"Being patient wasn't one of the conditions to get a driver's license"

"True"  
"Seems like it'll be take out and eating back at HQ" Tony mumbled, looking a bit disappointed. Kate reached over and placed her hand on his thigh.

"Hey, we'll have plenty of time tonight, okay? I'll get some stuff from my place and I'll stay with you okay?" Tony's face split into a smile and he leaned over and kissed her. He felt Kate challenge him and deepened the kiss. But then she broke apart.

"Tony, I'm not going to do it, with you, in the car. Just for your information"

"Come on, Kate…" he said with a smirk.

"Tony! I'm not having sex with you in your car, in the middle of the high way!" she hissed and Tony laughed.

"There are plenty of rest stops along the way"  
"Seriously?!"

He wiggled his eyebrows and Kate both blushed and rolled her eyes at the same time. "You're crazy. We're going to get lunch, and if you're nice we'll see what I can do about this, tonight! Deal?"

He eyed he for a second and then suddenly turned right, switching files to the one that were on the way out of town, where the traffic wasn't as heavy.

"DiNozzo! What are you doing?!" once again she only received a wiggle of his eye brows and he sped down the road. "Tony, what the hell…-" he made a quick turn into a smaller road and stopped at an empty rest stop.

"You gotta be kidding me! Tony! What the he all are you doing?"  
"See, Kate. No people and we have exactly….58 minutes"

"You're _crazy_! Get back on the highway or we won't get any lunch at all!" she hissed. Tony laughed. "Stop freaking out, Kate"

"I'm not freaking out"  
"Yes you are"  
Now she just ignored him. "Oh, come on, Kate" he tried but she only turned her face to the window, away from him. She heard him sigh defeated, and smiled to herself. Then she heard him unbuckle his seatbelt and within a second he'd grabbed her shoulder and claimed her lips with his.

"Damn you" she said into his mouth before kissing him back.

"You didn't say anything about steamy make out sessions" Tony teased when they parted for air.

"You're crazy!"

"Aww, don't be so rough on me, Kate" he feigned hurt and Kate smiled against his lips. "You're so silly"

"Silly, maybe but not crazy"  
"Oh shut up" she said and leaned in again. Just as their kiss deepened and she felt Tony's hand under her shirt, the shrill ring of a cell phone interrupted them.

"If that's Gibbs, I'll shoot him" Tony said as Kate broke apart to locate her cell. "Hello? Oh, hi Abs"

Tony groaned. Abby _always _called at the most inappropriate times. "No, I'm out at lunch. Yes, with Tony. No" Tony eyed her impatiently. Why couldn't she just say she was…busy? Grinning wickedly, he leaned in again, lips hovering just above hers.

"Uhm..what, sorry I didn't hear you" Kate said into the receiver and Tony smiled at the fact that he'd distracted her. "Okay. Great. Yes…" Rolling his eyes, Tony placed his lips upon hers, gently kissing her. He felt Kate hesitate whether to kiss him back and just drop the phone or break away and end her phone call. Quickly deciding, Kate pressed the receiver to her shoulder, while responding to Tony's kiss.

"Hang up" he whispered.

"That's rude" he ignored her statement and kissed her with more emotion and passion. Kate's grip of her phone slowly loosened and making her final decision she broke away from Tony and quickly end the phone call.

"You know what, Abs. I'll call you back, okay. Bye" and then she hung up and dropped her phone to floor, now giving Tony all her attention.

---

Back at HQ, Kate felt guilty for ending the phone call like that so she decided to pay Abby a visit.

"You sounded very busy" Abby fired at her as she stepped into the lab.

"Well…yeah"

"Are you and Tony sleeping together?"

"What?"

"Oh come on! You've lived together, you went to lunch with him and in the middle of a phone call you disappeared only to come back later and quickly say bye. Very suspicious, Kate" Abby said, amused at the face Kate pulled.

"Okay! So maybe we are. But you have to promise to not tell neither a living nor a dead soul about it!" Kate admitted with a hint of warning, knowing that Abby would probably tie her to the chair if she didn't get a straight answer.

"I knew it!" Abby squealed. "So, what hinky activity were you up to during your lunch break?"

"Nothing!"  
"You sure?"  
"Abby! I would never have sex with Tony in the car, on the _highway!_"

"Sounds hinky. Is he good?"

Kate groaned. She didn't feel like telling Abby they hadn't crossed that bridge yet but she didn't have to since Abby kept talking.

"When you disappeared there for a while, it sounded suspiciously much like saliva swapping, but that's only my opinion. I can isolate the sound later and…"

"Hold on! You _recorded _our conversation?!"

"I record all my phone calls"

"Abs!" Kate hissed. "Why are you so obsessed by our relationship?"

"Because, you've had this killer sexual tension since…you started _working _here. It was frustrating to just see you dancing around the issue. That's all, and I don't like the term obsessed. Think of me as…your caring friend who only wants you to be happy"

"You make it sound like a bad soap opera"  
Abby rolled her eyes but with a smirk. "So is he as good as he pretends to be? As in risking-marriage-good, cause last year, he _did _date a married woman for almost two months, you know"

"Abby, that's need to know. And I'm not going to tell you!"

"Oh come on. I'm your best friend"

"Bye, Abby" Kate said as she stalked out of the lab. Abby smiled after her. _I knew it…_

---

The rest of the day was spent up in the bullpen, Gibbs going through the case file, not accepting that he'd failed. The rest of the team pretended to do paperwork but truth was, McGee were synchronizing his iPod, Tony played Tetris online and Kate were IM:ing Abby. Their activities seem to go unnoticed by their superior so around five pm the three of them went home. Kate followed Tony back to his place almost automatically since they'd taken his car that morning. They quickly swung by Kate's place so she could pack a smaller bag for the night.

"We survived the day, Katie. Let's celebrate" she glared skeptically. "We went unnoticed by Gibbs for almost eight hours" she met his gaze for a moment and then they spoke simultaneously.

"Take out"

35 minutes later they sat by Tony's kitchen table with several boxes of Chinese take out spread out over the surface. Tony's chopsticks lay untouched on the brown paper bag as he thankfully had accepted the fork Kate'd handed him.

"Something was up with Gibbs today" Kate commented as she poked around in her carton.

"What do you mean?"

"I think he knows, Tony"

"Calm down. If he did, he would have said something. Gibbs isn't really the kind of man to…hold back if something bothers him"

Kate chuckled, before turning serious. "Thank you"

"I have my moments" They smiled at each other before finishing their meal in silence. When they were done, Kate volunteered to clean the table and take care of the dishes that had fathered during her two nights there.

"You don't have to, Kate" Tony protested but only for a moment. He hated to do dishes.

"I know" Kate said with a small smile and then turned back to the sink. Tony sat back in his chair and just watched her. The woman he'd secretly wanted for years now stood in his kitchen, doing the dishes as it was a part of their routine.

"Stop staring at my ass, DiNozzo" she called out teasingly, feeling his eyes on her. It was almost scary that she knew when he was looking.

"Well, I have to take advantage of the situation"

"You're so dead"

"So you've told me and from what I know you can only die once, and I feel pretty alive" he heard Kate laugh. "You're so silly"

"I know" he replied cheekily. Kate smiled. She was slightly amazed by his easy going manners and his view of life. Really living every day that was something she admired him for.

"You owe me one" she said as she dried her hands. Then she walked over to him and sat down in his lap, gingerly snaking her arms around his neck.

"Any plans for tonight?" she asked and gently placed a kiss on his lips.

"Not really. You?" he replied, capturing her lips again. He didn't get an answer from Kate since she instead responded and deepened their kiss.

"We're not on the highway now" Tony said, voice low and husky.

"I'm aware of that" Kate replied teasingly, not putting more than an inch between their faces. Tony grinned and in one move he'd placed her on her feet, standing up when she did.

"Your phone off?" he asked into her mouth.

"On silent"

"That's my girl" he said and one moment later, Kate's shirt fell to the floor.

---

IT was hours later, when Tony woke up. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at Kate, sleeping peacefully, tangled in the sheets of his bed. She lay on her back, so he got a perfect view of her face. She seemed so…relaxed when she slept. No signs of her earlier worry.

"You're staring again" she murmured softly without opening her eyes. Tony chuckled and slipped his hand under the sheet to caress her stomach.

"Is it your famous sixth sense speaking again?" A smile appeared on her face as her eyes cracked open. "Guess it is" They stared fondly at each other for a while before Kate broke the silence.

"What time is it?"

"1:19. We should get some more sleep" Tony suggested, lying back down.

"G'night" Kate mumbled and settled in his arms.

"You know who I feel like?"

"Wait, let me guess. James Bond"

"Actually no. I feel like Mumble. In Happy Feet"

"What?"

"Who's Mumble?"

"The only penguin who can't sing, he tap dances instead. The others tease him, his father blames himself and Mumble doesn't get to graduate with the others. He's an…outsider, longing for the girl with the most beautiful voice and in the end…he wins her heart"

"Sweet. But you're not an outsider"

"Well, I'm not the ideal man, Kate" he said and for a moment, he almost looked shy. Kate smiled. "To me you are" he blushed which made him look even cuter. Kate closed her eyes again and snuggled closer to his chest. His words rang in her ears. Was that how he felt? Not like everybody else? Like an outside? She remembered their conversation from this morning. When he'd told her he built a snow fort and hid from the world. During their three years at NCIS, he'd revealed very little about his childhood and she couldn't help but wanting to hear the story. She wanted him to be able to trust her with things like this.

So she opened her eyes again and pulled back slightly so she could face him.

"Tony, is that how you feel?" she said sincerely, still a bit unsure about this. What if he took it the wrong way? Was it maybe too painful for him to share with her?

"What do you mean?"

"Like…an outsider. Like…a disappointment?" she asked fearfully. He stared into her eyes and knew what she asked him.

"I…" he sighed. "It's a long story, Kate"

"I have time" he let out another heavy sigh and turned away his gaze. "I don't know where to start, Kate"

"But is that how you feel? Like…Mumble?" she said, using his metaphor. He smiled slightly as she mentioned the animated little penguin. Truth was, Mumble reminded him a lot of himself when he was little. His father who was very disappointed in him and didn't fail to tell him that either.

"Yeah, I do. My dad was…it was obvious that he was disappointed in me since I didn't choose the life he'd picked for me. He said that I wasn't grateful for what I was given…He put me in private school when I was eight…I didn't know a soul and I couldn't stand it for more than two years"

"You were alone for two years?" Kate asked incredously. She suddenly felt a lump in her throat and a twinge of guilt for all the times she'd teased him for that his life was easier than hers since his parents were rich. He smiled a small smile and shrugged. Kate's heart broke into pieces and she reached out and gently touched his cheek.

"I'm sorry, Tony"

"It's okay. But I won the heart of the most beautiful girl" he said with a grin and Kate blushed. "Yeah…you did. What happened to him?"

"Who?"

"Mumble"

"I don't know. Still waiting for the sequel" Kate chuckled. "Yeah, of course. But while we wait, maybe we should get some sleep"  
"Good idea" he shifted and pulled her closer. "Goodnight, again, Katie" Kate closed her eyes and for once let the nick name slide. "Whatever. Goodnight"

_**Ooo, long chapter here. How was it? It's easy to build up tension and then get in some Tate but afterwards, that's hard. So how did I do? Was it good? I brought in some more GibbsJen interaction since it's pretty fun writing them. Like an adult version of Tony and Kate. I've planned a sequel, and actually already written the first chapter. It will be up as soon as I've posted an epilogue for this story. Now, review, cause I know you want to! **_

_**By the way! I thought Abby was the only one using the word hinky. Apparently lt. Stillman, the boss in Cold Case also says hinky. In serious conversations…Just some insignificant trivia. Now I'll leave you alone to review! **_


	11. Epilogue

**Epilogue **

"This is freakin' unbelievable!" Kate exclaimed and stepped out on the balcony, fanning furiously with an old issue of The Post. Tony, who lay stretched out on a chair, now lifted his sunglasses and peered up at her, clearly amused.

"What is?"

"The heat! I can't stand it!"

"That's why God invented something called air conditioner"

"But did he invent the tiny little flaw in his plan, huh? Since there's a black out covering a big part of the freakin' East coast, I'm going to melt to death" she almost yelled and Tony grinned. The power grid was out since it had been over 103 degrees for almost two weeks straight, now, and the Americans didn't seem to have any intentions of cutting down their use of their AC:s. But the fun part was that Kate, miss I-hate-snow-and-cold, seemed to freak out over the heat as well.

"Goldfish died again, Kate?" he teased. The imaginary goldfish had become an internal joke between them and it was frequently used when either of them was freaking out. He'd even gotten the name Pat. Tony's suggestion, of course.

"This sucks, Tony" she hissed and stomped back inside. Tony smiled after her, before making himself comfortable again.

Inside, Kate had burst into what unofficially was _their _bedroom. She hadn't slept at home for almost a month. She tossed the newspaper onto the bed and then rummaged through her half unpacked bag for her bikini. Now on a day like this, even hot pants and tank top felt extremely suffocating. Quickly, she changed her attire and went to the bathroom to retrieve some sunscreen. The counter was covered in make up supplies and other beauty products, barely leaving any space for Tony's razor and single bottle of cologne. Kate felt slightly guilty for taking over his bathroom, but only a little.

"This is gonna _melt _off" she complained when she returned to the balcony and tossed the bottle of sunscreen on her boyfriend.

"Here, help me" she slumped down in the chair next to him and lifted her hair so he could reach her neck and back.

"A please would be nice"

"Tony" she said warningly. When he didn't move she turned around and leaned over him. "Please…" she whispered seductively in his ear.

"Much better" he said and sat. "Do I dare ask why you seem to hate all the four seasons?" he asked while rubbing her back.

"I don't hate it. Hate is a strong word, DiNozzo. Summer is great as long as the temperature doesn't give me a sudden urge to actually move into Autopsy"

"You're hard to satisfy, my dear"

"Yeah, and you would be the expert in that area, right?" she teased and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Of course I am. There, done"

"Thanks" she grabbed the bottle from him and gave him a quick kiss.

"That's all I get?" he called out, feigning hurt. Kate grinned. "For now"

"Oh, so I better be nice?"

"Exactly. C'mere, your nose is getting red" she put some sunscreen on her finger and attempted to rub it onto his face when Tony pulled back.

"Hey there!"

"What?"

"Sunscreen is for girls" Tony stated.

"What?!" she gave him the are-you-five-years-old-or-what-look. "Don't be silly! Your skin is going to fall off"

"Seriously, Kate! I can't go around and smell sunscreen"

"Well, suit yourself. You do know that if you burn, which you will, you won't be able to…"get any" for a few days. Not to mention about the incredible pain you'll be in and that very flattering reddish tone you'll take" she warned. He eyed her.

"That's not true"

"It is" he eyed her and considered her statement for a while. Kate threatening him with sex and painful consequences in the same sentence, was never good cause he never knew when she was really joking or when she was actually right.

"Fine. But if you tell McGee, I'll shoot you!" Kate laughed and stretched forward to gently put some protection on his face and down his torso.

"There you go. You'll thank me later"

"Hmpf" he muttered and lay back down, pushing the sunglasses back down. Kate shook her head at him and lay down as well, putting a cap on her forehead to force the sunrays away. They lay silent for a few minutes before Tony muttered again.

"I smell like a girl"

__

Very short epilogue. Just some humour I thought of. The frustration over the heat is something taken from real life. I always complain about the weather. In the winter, I want summer. In the summer, I want snow and when it rains, I want sunshine but when I get sunshine, I think it's too hot. We humans are strange individuals…at least I am. And the idea of sunscreen being only for girls, I've taken from my cousin who refused to use sunscreen and then looked like a lobster when he came home from Thailand. Stubborn and macho, just like DiNozzo :P

_**th**__** July actually. I may have to some research about that holiday, though...**_

_**So, thank you all for reading and sending me all these kind reviews. Thank you, thank you, thank you! And I hope you'll find my next story as good as this one, even if it contains an already established relationship. Anyway, thanks a lot, and don't forget to review this short little epilogue:D **_

_**/Ida**_


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